Overview
- Federal indictments were unsealed October 30 and coordinated arrests were carried out across the Northern District of Mississippi and Shelby County, Tennessee.
- Fourteen of those charged are identified as current or former local law enforcement, including two county sheriffs reported by local outlets.
- Nineteen defendants also face counts for carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime, increasing potential federal penalties.
- Officials say some defendants allegedly provided escorts and protection to people they believed were cartel members in FBI sting operations, with shipments in two instances reaching Memphis and Miami.
- The FBI is continuing the investigation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Mims is prosecuting, the U.S. Marshals aided the arrests, and all defendants are presumed innocent.