Fifteen Defendants Indicted on Drug Trafficking and Firearms Charges

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging 15 Memphis, Tennessee, residents for their involvement in an organized drug trafficking scheme. 

According to court documents, between November 2023 and June 2024, the defendants allegedly worked together, and with others, to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana throughout the Memphis area. During the investigation, agents recovered two stolen vehicles and seized 29 firearms, five machinegun conversion devices (known as “switches”), over $4,000 in cash, approximately 938 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 541 grams of fentanyl, approximately 200 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, and 26.43 pounds of marijuana.

The indictment charges the following 15 defendants:

Defendant

Age

Charges

Brian Lackland

34

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, over 500 grams of methamphetamine, and marijuana; possession of firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes; and being a felon in possession of firearms

Paul Nelson

31

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and over 500 grams of methamphetamine; and being a felon in possession of firearms

Ebony Cobb

41

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and over 500 grams of methamphetamine

Jerrod Cox

31

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl

Darius Moore

38

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl

Edgar Smith

38

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl

Mervin Anderson

38

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl

Courtney Davis

28

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl

Timothy Achols

36

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl

Jehu Cruz

23

Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl; and possession of firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes

Mohamed Samba

24

Conspiracy to distribute marijuana; and possession of firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes

Prentiss Broadway

33

Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl

Braxton Beck

32

Federal firearms offenses and being a felon in possession of firearms

Darion Allen

28

Federal firearms offenses and being a felon in possession of firearms

Delifarroe Goins

29

Federal firearms offenses and being a felon in possession of firearms

If convicted, the defendants charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and defendants charged with distributing methamphetamine face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The defendants charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl face a mandatory minimum of five years or 10 years in prison, depending on the amount distributed, and a maximum penalty of life in prison. The defendants charged with possession of firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and U.S. Attorney Kevin G. Ritz for the Western District of Tennessee made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); FBI; U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Multi-Agency Gang Unit; Memphis Police Department; Bartlett Police Department; and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Amanda Kotula and Aaron Henricks of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neal Oldham for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.

This case is brought as part of the Criminal Division’s Memphis Violent Crime Initiative, conducted in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee and local, state, and federal law enforcement. The joint effort addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members and associates in Memphis. As part of the initiative, the Criminal Division has dedicated attorneys and other resources to prosecuting violent offenders and assisting intervention, prevention, and reentry efforts to address the root causes of violent crime. 

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.