March 22, 11

NEWS / Twenty Charged in Mid-State Drug Conspiracy

Fifteen-Month Investigation Impacts Rural Communities

NASHVILLE, TN—Federal, state, and local law enforcement officers have arrested 19 of 20 defendants charged in a criminal complaint, which was unsealed on March 17, 2011, announced Jerry E. Martin, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee; Rodney E. Benson, Special Agent-in-Charge (SAC) of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Atlanta Field Office; Glenn E. Anderson, SAC, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Nashville Field Division (ATF); Amy S. Hess, SAC, FBI-Memphis Division; Mark Gwyn, Director, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; and Kyle Helton, Sheriff, Giles County Tennessee.

Law enforcement officers across the mid-state, armed with arrest warrants and several search warrants, began to arrest those charged in the complaint last Thursday and all but one are in custody. All defendants are charged with participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana. The search warrants resulted in the seizure of over 100 pounds of marijuana, over $60,000 in cash, 23 firearms, and a bullet-resistant vest. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $4 million fine.

“Operations like this are simply not possible without the exceptional cooperation of law enforcement agencies at every level,” said U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin. “Investigations such as this have a significant impact on rural communities, which often lack sufficient resources to sustain such long-term, complex investigations. This case is a prime example of how the drug trafficking connection reaches from suppliers in metropolitan urban areas to rural America. For enforcement efforts to be effective, the entire supply chain must be disrupted.”

“The cooperation by the federal, state, and local agencies resulted in learning detailed information about a drug trafficking group, which has posed a significant problem in this county and in other areas for quite a while,” said Giles County Sheriff Kyle Helton. “The investigation showed that this group was getting cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs through multiple sources in Nashville and in Alabama. I am pleased that these agencies were able to safely execute the arrests and search warrants obtained through this cooperation and look forward to the presentation of the evidence gathered in this case in federal court.”

Those charged in the indictment are identified as:

Travis Lynn Gentry, 31, of Prospect, Tennessee;
Betty Katherine Gentry, 66, of Prospect, Tennessee;
Frank Dwayne Randolph, 47, aka “Tubbs,” of Pulaski, Tennessee;
Alfred Tryan Coffey, 50, aka “Renny,” of Pulaski,Tennessee;
Randy Randolph, 47, of Prospect, Tennessee;
Channing Ace Randolph, 21, of Pulaski, Tennessee;
Patrick Dewayne Smith, 32, of Madison, Alabama;
James Thomas Coffey, Jr., 35, aka: “Jamey,” of Pulaski, Tennessee;
Nicholas Theron White, 32, of Pulaski, Tennessee;
Brandon Corey Matthews, 26, aka “Birthday,” of Prospect, Tennessee;
Jonas Lavar Hayes, 27, of Pulaski, Tennessee;
Tony Wayne Hedge, 25, of Dickson, Tennessee;
Kejuana Latrese McCutcheon, 34, of Nashville, Tennessee;
William Warren Head II aka Warren Head, 30, of Nashville, Tennessee;
Clanisha Leshon Allen, 26, of Antioch, Tennessee;
Spencer Randolph aka Diddy, 55, of Nashville, Tennessee;
Gara Carlnesa Harris-Joslin aka Gara Harris, 29, of Antioch, Tennessee;
Brandon Paul Hooper, 29, of Nashville, Tennessee; and
Edddie Dewayne Dixon aka “Monsta,” 31, of Dickson, Tennessee.

Todd Arkalus Bryant, 37, of Smyrna, Tennessee remains a fugitive.

This case was investigated by the DEA, FBI, ATF, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Giles County Sheriff’s Department, and the Pulaski Police Department. Assistance was also provided by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Columbia Police Department, the Maury County Sheriff’s Department, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the 21st Judicial District Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sunny Koshy is representing the government.

A complaint is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

http://memphis.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel11/me032211.htm