A TBI agent testified Friday about intercepting drug-related calls of Jerry Alexander Jr., one of 32 men indicted in November of 2013 who were called the “worst of the worst” criminals in Chattanooga.
The 32 suspects were charged with conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack, and or 5 kilograms of cocaine and Alexander faces multiple similar charges.
A TBI special agent, Rod Waters, took the stand before Judge Harry Mattice to tell the jury about the investigation that led to Alexander’s arrest.
He said that by tapping the home phone of Lajeromeny Brown, another man who was indicted in 2013, he was able to determine a link between the two of them and was eventually able to have an informant make a controlled purchase of cocaine and heroin at Alexander’s home.
In June of 2013, the TBI gained approval to start tapping Brown’s for 30 days, which led to Alexander becoming an investigation target.
With permission granted, TBI officials were able to listen to incoming calls for up to two minutes to determine if it was a “dirty” call. After the two-minute mark, they were further able to spot check every 30 or 45 seconds.
Agent Waters said that he never heard any drugs mentioned explicitly in those calls, but he did hear co-terms for narcotics such as, “Tires, chickens, white paint, or green paint.”
He said, “Brown was a tire businessman so they talked tires a lot.”
On Oct. 29, the TBI recruited a confidential informant to participate in the investigation and buy drugs from Alexander in exchange for mitigation in his own case.
According to the agent, the informant was given bills with noted serial numbers and a wiretap for the exchange. He then called the defendant and established a time to meet him on Brainerd Road.
The informant, who was surveyed closely by Agent Waters in another car, picked up the defendant on Brainerd Road and then drove him back to his house on Gadd Road for the exchange.
At this point, the agent said he could no longer watch the informant first-hand after he followed the defendant into his home, but when he came out, he met back up with the agent and delivered drugs that he allegedly bought from Alexander.
He handed over .43 grams of heroin and .62 grams of crack cocaine.
The prosecution also submitted two recorded phone calls that Alexander allegedly made in jail to a woman he was close with.
In those calls, a man who Agent Waters said is the defendant said, “Oh yeah, I’m going [to jail.]”
He also allegedly said, “I ain’t going to the state joint, I’m going to the fed joint.”