Lexington, Tenn.–An undercover operation spanning more than a year into the sell of illicit drugs in Lexington and Henderson County has resulted in the indictment of 18 individuals. Two of the individuals are from Huntingdon.
Operation Big Red Ice, led by special agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, began in January 2020. During the investigation, authorities conducted multiple controlled purchases, surveillance, and research.
“We are grateful for the partnership of the TBI and our fellow law enforcement agencies in getting drugs and drug dealers off our streets,” said Henderson County Sheriff Brian Duke. “We know illegal drugs fuel a lot of other crimes in our county and cause a lot of pain for families. This has been a successful operation, but our fight continues.”
On March 31st, the Henderson County Grand Jury returned indictments, charging 18 people in connection to the ongoing investigation.
“I appreciate the hard work of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, TBI, and all the law enforcement agencies who assisted with this operation,” said 26th District Attorney General Jody Pickens. “To those in the community who continue to violate the law by selling controlled substances, one day the knock on your door won’t be Amazon or UPS. It will be a law enforcement officer bent on arresting you to hold you accountable for bringing poison into our community. Make no mistake, this is not the end.”
Today, TBI and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, along with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Huntington Police Department, Decatur County Sheriff’s Office, Lexington Police Department, Jackson Police Department, 24th District Drug Task Force, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted an extensive roundup in an effort to bring the individuals into custody.
“As long as we continue to witness the amount of methamphetamine we are seeing across the state, we will make every effort to assist our partners in curbing this epidemic,” said Assistant Director T.J. Jordan, Drug Investigation Division. “We are committed to do our part to help keep our communities safe.”
At the time of this release, 12 individuals had been arrested and charged as a result of the indictments:
- Jermile Adams (DOB: 6/30/86), Huntingdon – Two Counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Derrick Cole (DOB: 3/8/93), Lexington – Four counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Michael Diffie (DOB: 1/25/76), Scotts Hill – Four counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Anthony Fernandez (DOB: 10/25/86), Decaturville – Four counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Lucas Larue (DOB: 4/8/91), Lexington – Four counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Marlon Mcclerkin (DOB: 8/12/74), Huntingdon – Two counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine, two counts Sale and Delivery of Heroin
- John Nash (DOB: 6/6/69), Lexington – Two counts of Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Christopher Pace (DOB: 8/1/75), Parsons – Two counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Brandon Swift (DOB: 9/19/82), Lexington – Two counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Bryan Teague (DOB: 2/11/80), Wildersville – Two counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine
- Herbert Williams (DOB: 5/6/66), Lexington – Six counts Sale and Delivery of Methamphetamine. Additional counts as a result of today’s arrest include: Possession with Intent – Scheduled VI and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
- Jala Winters (DOB: 5/3/01), Scotts Hill – Two counts Sale and Delivery Methamphetamine
Photo: TBI press conference announcing indictments.