40 arrested Tuesday as a result of a major drug trafficking investigation

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - 40 people across Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, California,  Texas, and Mexico have been arrested as a result of a four-year-long federal drug trafficking investigation spearheaded by the Department of Justice.

Many of those arrested are from Lauderdale, Newton, Neshoba, Scott, and Jasper counties.

There were ten indictments filed by the Southern District of Mississippi.

The indictments charge various drug trafficking crimes of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to do so.

Many defendants face mandatory minimum sentences due to the significant quantities of illegal drugs involved, as well as enhanced penalties for crimes involving methamphetamine where minors were present or for drug trafficking near schools. Additionally, some defendants have been charged with firearms-related crimes or using a telephone to threaten injury or death to another by means of an explosive device.

“I have a simple message for the drug traffickers in East Mississippi that are still on the streets after today’s arrests. Get out of the business, or like the persons arrested today, you will spend the vast majority of your life behind bars,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee.

Law enforcement agencies were ready to get to work to keep the community safe, and collaborating with the Department of Justice made the process easier as each entity worked together to get these people off the streets.

“At the local level is where we feel the pain. It’s the people who come to our office talking about their children who are on illegal drugs. It is the shootings. It is the illegal sale of guns and narcotics in our community that drives much of our crime, and today we’ve taken a bite out of it. Not all of it, but we’ve taken a bite out of it and it was done because of cooperation between all these agencies has already been talked about today,” said Lauderdale County Sheriff Ward Calhoun.

“Oftentimes, you’ll hear me talk about how public safety works best when you keep the politics out of it, and this is a prime example of those efforts. When you keep politics out of public safety, you can work hand in hand with your federal partners, your local partners, multiple administration. There are different elected officials that come in and out of office, but these operations continue, and it’s the men and women. On the front line of MBN and other local law enforcement agencies that keep these efforts moving forward,” said Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Sean Tindell.

Down below is a full list of people who were arrested:

Tavia Armstrong, 32, of Meridian; Alyssia Boose, 32, of Newton; Billy Boose, 46, of Newton; Fred Campbell, 49, of Meridian; Jacoby Clayton, 29, of Meridian; Mario Cole, 37, of Meridian; Bobby Coleman, 35, of Union; George Collier, 46, of Pelahatchie; Christopher Evans, 47, of Union; Tabbgrinn Graham, 33, of Decatur; James Green, 52, of Meridian; Cassady Harris, 37, of Union; Yvette Herring, 45, of Riverside, CA; Dakota Holt, 32, of Meridian; Edward House, 46, of Meridian; Jeffery Jennings, 40, of Meridian; James Johnson, 50, of Louin; Cedric Jones, 52, of Houston, TX; Lajason Jones, 43, of Decatur; Markee Jones, 44, of Meridian; Nathan Kendricks, 46, of Meridian; Kevin King, 41, of Meridian; Todrian Laphand, 30, of Meridian; John Little, 31, of Meridian; Nicholas Massey, 35, of Decatur; Kenneth McCurdy, 43, of Forest; Jeffery Murrell, 54, of Newton; Johnny Patton, 42, of Quitman; Darius Powell, 35, of Meridian; Marcus Powell, 38, of Meridian; Raykeitdgrith Ricks, 41, of Lawrence; Znthony Ruffin, 38, of Toomsuba; Dustin Jamal Russell, 33, of Newton; Steven Savell, 48, of Union; Carlos Seals, 42, of  Meridian; Brandon Slaughter, 31, Meridian; Jacorie Smith, 27, of Meridian; Curtis Spivey, 39 of Philadelphia; Billy Wilson, 52, of Cuba, AL;  and Crisseta Woods, 46, of Union.

Additional defendants charged in the indictments have not yet been arrested.

Trial is scheduled to start on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judges F. Keith Ball and LaKeysha Greer Isaac in U.S. District Court in Jackson.

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