The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said at a press meeting on Monday afternoon that they had arrested 16 people who were thought to be part of a drug ring that operated across the whole county. The investigation had taken almost 20 months.
The investigation, which lasted for months, was called Operation Ending Insight, and all 16 people who were arrested were charged.
Chief Deputy Sheriff Anthony Buckner told the press, “I can tell you that these detectives who worked on this case worked around the clock.” “I want to stress this point. I know that our office gets calls all the time asking, “What is the sheriff’s office doing for the people of the City of Memphis?” What I think this case really shows is how much we want to work with the Memphis Police Department and the City of Memphis to lower crime in Shelby County.
Buckner said that investigators got 11 search warrants for homes and storage units all over Shelby County. He said that during the searches, about $110,000 was seized, along with “a large amount of fentanyl and marijuana,” 17 cars, and seven guns, one of which was an assault weapon.
The Memphis bar that is the focus of the investigation is still open
“The detectives were also able to disrupt the sale of about 24 kilos of cocaine, which was valued at about $500,000,” he said.
The drug ring was said to have been based out of Club Insight, a bar in South Memphis at 216 East McLemore Ave. Buckner said that the sheriff’s office thinks the investigation has “concluded” when asked if the 16 men who were arrested are all part of the alleged drug ring.
“I would like to say today it’s closed, but it can certainly be reopened should new information become available,” he stated.
The bar is still open, but Buckner said that they have talked with the Shelby County District Attorney’s office about possible solutions, like making the club a nuisance. The DA’s office said on Oct. 23 that a Memphis hotel was closed because of many criminal reports.
Source: Drug bust in Memphis leads to 16 arrests, gun seizures, SCSO says
