Nineteen Members of a Drug Trafficking Organization Indicted for Distributing Methamphetamine, Cocaine and Marijuana throughout Western Tennessee

Memphis, TN – A total of nineteen individuals have been indicted in two separate indictments for conspiracy to distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine and Marijuana in the Western District of Tennessee. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee announced the indictments today.

On March 18, 2019, a federal grand jury returned indictments charging 4 defendants with conspiracy to distribute Methamphetamine and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm that had been shipped in interstate commerce. On April 15, 2019, in a case connected to the previous indictment, a federal grand jury returned indictments charging 15 defendants with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana which remained sealed until the defendants’ arrests. This investigation was conducted in conjunction with prosecutors in Jackson as part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, which seeks to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises.

These indictments follow a year-long investigative operation known as "Two Foot Shackle", involving agents with the FBI and ATF as well as other state and local law enforcement agencies in this joint operation, and using a variety of investigative techniques, sources, and methods. These defendants are alleged to have participated in a conspiracy to distribute narcotics throughout the Western District of Tennessee.

The four defendants in the first indictment are:

    Walter McPeake

    Johnny Todd

    Sheldon Hart

    Kevin Finch

Count 1 charges Walter McPeake, Johnny Todd, Sheldon Hart and Kevin Finch with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of actual methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Count 2 charges Walter McPeake with knowingly and unlawfully receiving and possessing a stolen firearm that had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce, knowing and having reasonable cause to believe the firearm was stolen.

Kevin Finch is currently released on bond. However, McPeake, Todd and Hart remain in custody.

If convicted, the defendants each face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years imprisonment and up to life.

Ten of the fifteen defendants in the second indictment that are currently in custody are:

    Timmy Jermaine Cole

    Anthony McElrath

    Kelvin Pettigrew

    Lynnie Ray Pettigrew

    Nickolas Atkins

    Cornelius Talley

    Cindy Cannon

    Scotty Tubbs

    Rolando Garibaldi-Alvarado

    Steven Williams

Five defendants remain at large, and their indictments remain under seal.

Count 1 charges Timmy Jermaine Cole, Lynnie Ray Pettigrew, Kelvin Pettigrew, Nickolas Atkins, Cornelius Talley, Cindy Cannon, Scotty Tubbs and Steven Williams with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute in excess of 50 grams of actual methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Count 2 charges Timmy Jermaine Cole, Lynnie Ray Pettigrew, Rolando Garibaldi-Alvarado, Kelvin Pettigrew, Anthony McElrath, and Nickolas Atkins with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute in excess of 5 kilograms of Cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Count 3 charges Timmy Jermaine Cole, Lynnie Ray Pettigrew, Kelvin Pettigrew, Nickolas Atkins, and Cornelius Talley with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute in excess of 1000 kilograms of marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance.

During this investigation, agents seized multiple firearms, approximately 15 pounds of methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and approximately 60 pounds of marijuana.

If convicted, the defendants each face mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years imprisonment and up to life.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "These indictments and takedown operation represent another great example of law enforcement working together to remove criminals from the Western District of Tennessee. Criminal enterprises that distribute these harmful drugs into our rural communities can no longer hide. We are taking the fight to the drug trafficking organizations in order to dismantle them and remove them from our streets."

"The FBI is dedicated to disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations and ending the violence they bring to our community, "said Special Agent in Charge of the Memphis Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation M.A. Myers. "These arrests demonstrate the commitment of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to root out those who seek to pollute our community and should serve as a reminder that the FBI will continue to target these offenders."

ATF Special Agent in Charge, Marcus Watson said, "ATF’s Crime Gun Intelligence Centers are the driving force to reduce the violent crime that plagues our neighborhoods. These indictments illustrate the effective partnerships with law enforcement and the community."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 24th Judicial District Drug Task Force, Decatur County Sheriff’s Office, Lexington Police Department, Dyersburg Police Department, Jackson Police Department, Selmer Police Department, McNairy County Sheriff’s Office, Hardeman County Sheriff’s Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerry Kitchen and Hillary Parham are prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The charges and allegations in the indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.