Jerriod Sivels
Jerriod Sivels, 31, of Chattanooga, has been sentenced to 142 months in prison by Judge Travis R.
McDonough after he earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or
more of cocaine and one count of money laundering.
The conviction was the result of an investigation into a drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing multiple kilograms of cocaine in the Eastdale and Brainerd communities of Chattanooga. Sivels was identified as a leader of the organization.
“This prosecution, which has made our community safer, provides an excellent example of
the law enforcement successes that can be achieved through federal, state, and local collaboration,” said Acting United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office values the coordinated law enforcement response that dismantled the drug trafficking organization in this case.”
“Today’s announcement should serve as a warning to anyone who seeks to poison our
communities with dangerous and illegal drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge J. Todd Scott, who
oversees DEA operations in Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia. “The Drug Enforcement
Administration works very closely with our law enforcement partners, like the Chattanooga Police
Department, to ensure that criminal drug activity is shut down and those responsible are brought
to justice. We are very grateful to CPD for their on-going cooperation and assistance.”
Chattanooga Chief of Police David Roddy said, “The Chattanooga Police Department is
thankful for the partnerships we have in the Federal system. The cooperative impact of our
investigators and our federal partners has resulted in a prosecution that dismantled an
organization, will keep Sivels from continuing to harm our community via drug trafficking, and
has made our neighborhoods safer.”
The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the United States Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Chattanooga Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The DEA Chattanooga Resident Office High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force led the investigation. THE HIDTA Task Force includes Task Force Officers from CPD, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Red Bank Police Department, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
The investigation was a result of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug
Enforcement Task Force, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Brown represented the United States.
He is a special assistant city attorney with the Chattanooga Police Department designated to
the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute violations of federal firearm and drug laws.