HAYWOOD COUNTY, TENN. – A late night traffic stop yesterday on Interstate 40 in Haywood County by agents of the Criminal Interdiction Unit with the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force based out of Shelby County has resulted in yet another record breaking seizure. This time, more than 200 pounds of cocaine.
Agents with the Criminal Interdiction Unit assigned to patrol Interstate 40 in both Shelby and Haywood Counties stopped a commercial motor vehicle on Interstate 40 in Haywood County for a traffic violation Monday evening.
During the traffic investigation, Agents observed abnormalities in the tractor trailer and deployed a certified narcotics canine. The canine alerted to the presence of a narcotic odor emanating from the trailer.
A four hour search was conducted of the trailer by Agents who discovered two aftermarket compartments near the refrigeration unit of the trailer.
Agents forced open the compartments and discovered 90 wrapped kilos of cocaine weighing approximately 200 pounds. The drugs are valued at approximately $2,250,000.00 wholesale with a street value estimated at nearly $9,000,000.00.
“Our Interstate Interdiction Agents are the best in the country and this stop is just another example of the professional work they do every day. We will continue to disrupt foreign and domestic organized crime along Interstate 40 in Haywood and Shelby counties. This was great work by our team,” said District Attorney General Frederick H. Agee
“Our highly skilled, professional Task Force continues with record-breaking yields of trafficked drugs,” said DA Mulroy.
“We’ll continue to disrupt these out-of-state trafficking organizations, with the cooperation of local law enforcement.”
“My Agents are among the best out there at what they do and I commend them for another job very well done,” said Task Force Director Johnie Carter. “This is the second record breaking drug bust for us in less than a month with similar circumstances where the drivers were innocent citizens being paid to unsuspectingly haul someone else’s contraband. This 200 pounds of cocaine was labeled with a heart and a capital T and was destined for Nashville. I’m assuming they aren’t hearting Tennessee law enforcement right now,” added Carter.
The West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force is a law enforcement agency that operates by agreement between the 28th, 29th and 30th District Attorneys General of Frederick Agee, Danny Goodman and Steve Mulroy. The Criminal Interdiction Unit operates out of the 30th District and is made up of full time employees and officers assigned from the Haywood and Dyer County Sheriff’s Offices and the Memphis and Germantown Police Departments.