The Department of Justice has made a dent in methamphetamine and fentanyl being trafficked into Middle Tennessee. Twenty people have been sentenced for their roles which resulted in 21 kilograms of meth and 1 kilogram of fentanyl being trafficked into Middle Tennessee.
Friday, the alleged leader of this organization, Filmon Mehtsentu, age 33, of Clarkston Georgia, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Beginning in early 2017, Mehtsentu brought large quantities of meth and fentanyl to Middle Tennessee for distribution. He pleaded guilty.
The residents from Tennessee that were sentenced included two from Rutherford County:
• Shane Watts, 33, of La Vergne
• Anthony Hampton, 39, of Shelbyville
• Joel Stockham, 27, of Antioch
• Juan Carranza, 39, of Nashville
• Eddie Shaw, 53, of Nashville
• Randell Chaney, 35, of Murfreesboro
Three more people are awaiting sentencing.
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Twenty individuals have been sentenced for their role in a series of methamphetamine distribution conspiracies which resulted in as much as 21 kilograms of methamphetamine and one kilogram of fentanyl being trafficked into the Middle Tennessee area and the arrest and indictment of two dozen individuals on drug trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Filmon Mehtsentu, 33, of Clarkston, Georgia, was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison for his role as the leader of a Drug Trafficking Organization that brought and distributed multi-kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl into the mid-state, beginning in early 2017. Mehtsentu pleaded guilty in December 2018, following a year-long investigation, dubbed "Operation Street Tax," which resulted in the indictment of 13 other persons, nine of whom have pleaded guilty and were previously sentenced, including: Guled Mohamed, 33, of Snellville, Georgia, sentenced to 151 months in prison; Shawn Dial, 31, of Ashland City, Tennessee, sentenced to 110 months in prison; Shane Watts, 33, of LaVergne, Tennessee, sentenced to 100 months in prison; Anthony Hampton, 39, of Shelbyville, Tennessee, sentenced to seven years in prison; Joel Stockham, 27, of Antioch, Tennessee, sentenced to four years in prison; Juan Carranza, 39, of Nashville, sentenced to 41 months in prison; Eddie Shaw, 53, of Nashville, sentenced to three years in prison; Zelalam Lloyd, 30, of Clarkston, Georgia, sentenced to 28 months in prison; and Randell Chaney, 35, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, sentenced to time served.
Reginald Crump, 51, and Darrell Lockridge, 31, both of Nashville, previously pleaded guilty and will be sentenced later this year. Rocky Jones, 38, of Joelton, Tennessee, was convicted at trial in May and is awaiting sentencing. Arone Haile, of Atlanta, Georgia, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Ten other persons were charged in 2017 in a separate methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, which began in December 2015 and continued until the end of May 2017. All have pleaded guilty and were sentenced, including: Liam Glenn, 25, of Hermitage, Tennessee, sentenced to 14 years in prison; Pascal Pasha, 35, of Kennesaw, Georgia, sentenced to 150 months in prison; Todd White, 49, of Atlanta, Georgia, sentenced to 136 months in prison; Daniel Demore, 44, of Atlanta, Georgia, sentenced to 2 years in prison; Jason White, 39, of Portland, Tennessee, sentenced to 160 months in prison; Williams Ryan Macintyre, 35, of Nashville, Charles Henderson, 31, of Lebanon, Tennessee, and Autumn Swindle, 41, of Nashville, were each sentenced to five years in prison; Charvel Roberson, 27, of Nashville, was sentenced to 26 months in prison; Dakota Boyles, 22, of Portland, Tennessee, most recently of Franklin, Kentucky, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison.
Of particular interest during the investigation, agents intercepted a parcel shipped from Arizona, which was suspected to contain a kilogram of heroin. DEA Lab analysis later determined the contents to be fentanyl - a quantity lethal enough to kill thousands of people. Other parcels intercepted during the investigation contained kilograms of incredibly pure methamphetamine, including 2.232 kilograms with 95% purity; 2.233 kilograms with 98% purity; 0.516 kilograms with 93% purity; and 141.16 grams of a substance containing heroin and fentanyl.
COMBINED EFFORTS:
These cases were investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives; the United States Secret Service; the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department; the Columbia Police Department; the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office; and the Williamson County Sheriff's Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda Klopf and Brent Hannafan are prosecuting the cases.
