An investigation by Special Agents with the Drug Investigation Division with Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the DEA, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and multiple Middle Tennessee law enforcement agencies has resulted in the arrest of 11 individuals and the seizure of hundreds of plants and more than $100,000 in cash.
The two-year investigation focused on an organized drug trafficking operation involved in the cultivation and distribution of high-grade marijuana in Middle Tennessee. The investigation culminated in the execution of more than a dozen search warrants executed simultaneously Wednesday morning. Six searches were conducted in Davidson County, and others were executed in Lewis, Sumner, Macon, Cannon, Bedford, Putnam, DeKalb and White Counties. Among the agencies involved in the drug investigation and search warrant executions were Metro Nashville Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Drug Task Forces with the 15th, 16th, 17th, 21st and 22nd Judicial Districts, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department, and the Governor’s Task Force on Marijuana Eradication.
Active indoor grow operations were found in Lewis, Macon, DeKalb and White Counties. A total of 320 plants were recovered and seized Wednesday; 224 plants were found in Lewis County, 52 in Macon County, and 44 in DeKalb County. The street value of the high-grade marijuana seized today is more than $560,000. More than 15 pounds of finished product, valued in excess of $37,500, and multiple weapons were found in one of the Davidson County locations. Three guns were found in the Bedford County location, and a total of more than $140,000 in cash was seized from multiple sites.
“The sophistication and danger of indoor grow operations like this demonstrate the complexity of what’s involved in these organizations,” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn. “It takes the collaboration and persistence of law enforcement agencies, and we want those involved in the production and distribution to know they’re not going to get away with it.”
“This is exactly why it’s difficult for law enforcement officers to wrap their minds around legalization efforts,” said Drug Investigation Division Assistant Director T.J. Jordan. “This is a sophisticated organization with the goal of operating covertly, producing and trafficking high-grade marijuana, and making money at the expense of Tennessee citizens.”
On Wednesday, these individuals were arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute Marijuana. They were booked into the Davidson County Jail:
*Carlos Hernandez Landerio, 25, Hohenwald, TN
*Luis Orlando Rego, Jr, 32, Shelbyville, TN
*Luis Orlando Rego, Sr, 54, Madison, TN
*Holly Furlough, 23, Madison, TN
*Nelson A Perez, 43, Antioch, TN
*Pedro Martin, 28, Lafayette, TN
*Hector Ruiz, 28, Antioch, TN
*Israel Martinez, 58, Bloomington Springs, TN
*Humberto Perez, 28, Antioch, TN
*Alexis Ravelo, 51, Madison, TN
*Luis Lopez, 25, Antioch, TN