Thursday, August 28, 2008
"Operation Wash Out" Targets Gangster Disciples, Leads to 117 Indictments Against 47 Defendants
MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons, Memphis Mayor W.W. Herenton, and Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin announced Wednesday that Memphis police officers served or attempted to serve warrants to 47 gang members, most of whom belong to the Gangster Disciples, indicted this week for felony drug violations following “Operation Wash Out,” an undercover investigation into drug trafficking at a south Memphis car wash. Police attempted to serve two additional arrest warrants for suspects related to the case on Wednesday, bringing the total of wanted individuals to 49.
The state Grand Jury for Shelby County on Tuesday returned 117 indictments from the “Operation Wash Out” investigation. The indictments returned by the Grand Jury include charges of sale of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell. The drug charges primarily involve the sale or possession of cocaine, but some charges involve ecstasy. The indictments resulted in numerous Class B and C felony charges. These cases will be handled by the D.A.’s Gang and Narcotics Prosecution Unit.
“Operation Wash Out” started in January 2007, when Memphis Police Organized Crime Unit went deep undercover at a car wash located at 987 South Third Street. The defendants indicted from this investigation range in age from 18 to 54 years old and are all known gang members. Most of the defendants are admitted members of the Gangster Disciples. Eight vehicles were also seized as a result of the investigation.
The round-up of defendants started around 4:00 a.m. Wednesday. The names of defendants in custody at this time will be released separately. This investigation and Wednesday’s round-up were coordinated under the Memphis Police Department’s Blue CRUSH™ initiative.
“Today, there are some 40 fewer gang members on the streets. Once again, the Memphis Police Department has conducted an excellent undercover operation and investigation. As a result, the D.A.’s Office has good, strong cases against known gang members. We will do all we can to hold these individuals accountable and hopefully send them away to prison,” explained District Attorney Bill Gibbons. The standard sentence for a Class B felony is 8-12 years in prison; the standard sentence for a Class C felony is 3-6 years.
“The Memphis Police Department under its Blue CRUSH™ philosophy has conducted dozens of operations over the past two-and-a-half years which have resulted in hundreds of arrests and indictments. Many of these suspects are verified gang members from several criminal gangs operating in our City. I commend these officers and continue to support the Memphis Police Department’s total crime fighting efforts,” said Mayor Herenton.
“The Memphis Police Department’s Undercover Operations are just one part of our Blue CRUSH™ philosophy that began in 2005. Our undercover operations are working, and the criminal gang members are getting the message. We will continue to attack the criminal gangs and their illegal activities in this community,” said Director Godwin. |
Posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 (Archive on Wednesday, September 26, 2007)
Posted by jdonnals Contributed by jdonnals
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