MEMPHIS, TN – The West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force took home some hefty awards from last week’s Tennessee Narcotics Officers Association annual meeting in Gatlinburg, including Criminal Interdiction Team of the Year and Narcotics Officer of the Year for its efforts to get drugs of the streets of Memphis and West Tennessee. In addition, the Drug Task Force received two awards for the largest marijuana and cocaine seizures in the state.
Since January 1 of this year, the Task Force’s Interstate Interdiction Unit has been responsible for the arrests of 88 individuals and the seizure of 39 vehicles. The Interdiction Unit has seized a street value of approximately $10,167,600 worth of drugs from vehicles it has stopped on interstates. Those drugs include 1,936 pounds of marijuana, 346 pounds of cocaine and 1,800 dosage units of illegal pills.
The Interstate Interdiction Unit is comprised of five officers assigned from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and five officers from the Memphis Police Department. Two additional grant paid agents assist in operational activities with the Unit. The Interstate Interdiction Unit was established by the Drug Task Force in January 2000.
Lt. Danny Lewis from the Humboldt Police Department was named Narcotics Officer of the Year. Lt. Lewis works with the Drug Task Force in Gibson County.
The West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force is a joint agency comprised of 43 law enforcement officers assigned from various law enforcement agencies in four of west Tennessee’s judicial districts. Of those officers, six work solely for the Task Force and not for separate law enforcement agencies.
The judicial districts include the 25th Judicial District (Fayette, Hardeman, Lauderdale, McNairy, and Tipton Counties); the 28th Judicial District (Crockett, Gibson, and Haywood Counties); the 29th Judicial District (Dyer and Lake Counties); and the 30th Judicial District (Shelby County). The Task Force is administered by the District Attorneys General of these districts. David McGriff is the director of the Task Force. Assistant District Attorney Bobby Carter is the Task Force’s legal advisor.