The Dyersburg Police Department along with the FBI Safe Streets Task Force were recognized by the Tennessee Narcotics Officers Association at their annual conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee,for an investigative case involving a drug trafficking organization distributing fentanyl, marijuana and other narcotics in the Western District of Tennessee. The Dyersburg Police Department has two narcotic investigators, Detective Mason McDowell and Detective Scott Bruce, that are federally sworn task force officers with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force.
The award was received for Operation Hollyweed that involved large scale fentanyl and marijuana distribution activities in West Tennessee with narcotics that were being obtained from the Southern District of California and the Western District of Washington beginning as early as June 2018. The Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) consisted mainly of distributors from Dyersburg that had relocated to other areas to further the organization and avoid detection of law enforcement. The investigation began in August 2020 and involved the FBI, US Postal Inspection Service, Dyersburg Police Department and Bellevue Police Department in Washington, and other state and local agencies. Agents executed search and arrest warrants in Dyersburg, Memphis, Cordova, and Murfreesboro in Tennessee as well as Dallas, Georgia and Tacoma, Washington. In total law enforcement executed 61 search warrants for residences, storage units, financial institutions, communication devices, and social media accounts over a 12-month period. Law enforcement seized over 5,000 fentanyl pills, 250 grams of methamphetamine, 32 grams of MDMA, 13 grams of heroin, 12 grams of cocaine, 50 kilograms of marijuana, 27 firearms, and over $220,000. Based on the investigation, over 30,000 fentanyl-based pills and over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana were attributed to this criminal enterprise during the investigative period. This investigation had been designated an OCDETF Case (Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force) by the Department of Justice.
Detective Mason McDowell said “The Dyersburg Police Department’s partnership with FBI Safe Street’s Task Force allows for the investigation of criminal enterprises and drug trafficking organizations that are operating in our community to extend well beyond the borders of Dyer County.”
“The Dyersburg Police Department had alerted the public of dangerous counterfeit pills in April 2021; that was due in large part to the importation of the fentanyl-based pills being distributed by this DTO. Law enforcement officers in Dyersburg and Dyer County were seeing an increase in counterfeit pills that were causing a significant number of overdoses as well as overdose deaths.”
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, fentanyl is a powerful opioid 100 time more potent than morphine.
Dyersburg Police Chief Steve Isbell provided the following, “I am thrilled that our team was recognized by their peers across the State for the outstanding work on this case. Their dedication, countless hours investigating, and hard work has resulted in dangerous drugs and weapons being removed not only from our community, but communities across the United States. Our team having federal jurisdiction led our narcotic detectives to other States which was crucial to stop the illegal flow of drugs into our community. We value our partnership with the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, and the United States Attorney General’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee for the Federal prosecution of these cases.”