31 face drug charges in Ripley area

JACKSON – Thirty-one people face various drug-related charges after a joint investigation involving the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s Drug Investigation Division, the Ripley Police Department, 25th Judicial District Drug Task Force, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a TBI press release.

In the early-morning hours on Thursday, 19 people were arrested without incident during a roundup in Ripley and the surrounding area, TBI says. An additional four of the 31 indicted as a result of this investigation were already in custody. As of Monday afternoon, 23 of the 31 people targeted in this operation are in custody. The nearly year-long investigation saw numerous illicit drug purchases, by multiple individuals.

Though crack cocaine was the most prominent, methamphetamine, marijuana and illegally diverted prescription pills were also bought during the course of the operation.

“The TBI will continue to prioritize community impact operations like this by attacking the scourge of the illicit drug trade that has crippled so many of our rural areas in this state,” said TJ Jordan, TBI’s Assistant Director for the Drug Investigation Division, in the press release. “Let me be clear, we’re coming for you, regardless of whether you are dealing in small or large amounts, you will no longer be allowed to sit back and profit from the torment and havoc you are wreaking in our communities.”

“We are very thankful for the tremendous work by the TBI, with the assistance of local Lauderdale County law enforcement agencies, to investigate and charge drug dealers in Lauderdale County who are poisoning our communities,” said 25th District Attorney General Mark Davidson. “We are dedicated to combating the opioid epidemic and illegal drugs with aggressive law enforcement and prosecution, and these cases are a reflection of that commitment.”

All those arrested were taken to the Lauderdale County Jail and have various bond amounts based on their individual cases. The TBI and Ripley Police Department received additional assistance on the arrests from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, DEA, U.S. Marshals, Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, and 25th Judicial Task Force.