DA Steve Mulroy, West TN Violent Crime and Drug Task Force Announce Major Kratom Enforcement Operation
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2026
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy and the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force announced Thursday the results of a weeks-long undercover investigation targeting the distribution of illegal kratom products throughout West Tennessee.
The investigation and enforcement operation were conducted by agents with the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force, with assistance from additional local, state and federal law enforcement partners.
The Task Force operates across Tennessee’s 28th, 29th and 30th Judicial Districts, including Shelby County, and is led by Director Johnie Carter.
Investigators identified Novelty King, 3090 Broad Street in Memphis, as an alleged major supplier of illegal kratom products distributed to gas stations, vape shops, convenience stores and other retailers throughout West Tennessee.
During Thursday’s operation, West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force agents confiscated nearly 30,000 packages of the substance from Novelty King. At the same time, investigators were conducting an operation at another location in Collierville as part of the ongoing investigation.
Some products encountered during the investigation were packaged or marketed using terms including “KLAZ,” “Botanical Extract” and “Cat’s Claw.” Officials are urging store owners and consumers to pay close attention to products carrying those terms.
“Tennessee law has changed, and retailers need to understand what that means,” Mulroy said. “We are particularly concerned about synthetic and chemically manipulated kratom products being sold in gas stations, vape shops and convenience stores. These are not simply traditional kratom products. Stores selling products prohibited under Tennessee law are now on notice. The work of the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force shows that these products are being identified, traced to their suppliers and removed from our communities.”
Carter emphasized that the products at the center of the investigation are synthetic and chemically manipulated products, rather than traditional kratom leaf.
“I want to be clear that what we are dealing with is synthetic kratom,” Carter said. “It has been chemically manipulated, it is accompanied by fake lab tests, and it is deadly. If you have it, destroy it, because if you sell it and are caught, you are going to jail.”
Tennessee’s Matthew Davenport’s Law, Public Chapter 950, took effect July 1, 2026. The law makes knowing possession of kratom a Class A misdemeanor and knowing manufacture, delivery, sale or possession with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell kratom a Class C felony. Certain sales or deliveries to minors can result in a Class B felony.
District Attorney General Jody Pickens of the 26th Judicial District also collaborated in the enforcement effort.
Assisting Law Enforcement Partners
Additional agencies assisting with the operation included:
26th Judicial District Drug Task Force
25th Judicial District Drug Task Force
Tennessee Dangerous Drugs Task Force
Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission
DEA – Memphis
Tennessee Counterdrug Task Force
The investigation remains ongoing.
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Media Contact:
Erica R. Williams
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