CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. On April 26, 2022, a federal grand jury in Chattanooga, Tennessee, returned a four-count indictment against 10 individuals: Marquis Rollins, also known as “Quez,” also known as “Q”; Emanuel Rollins, also known as “E Man”; Malik Young; Keunte Suttles, also known as “Kay Kay Watts”; Michael Garrick; Brandon Rakestraw, also known as “Lil Buddha”; Xavier Bickerstaff; Michael Jones, Jr., also known as “Mike Watts”; Taurus Moore; and Corey Long, all of Chattanooga. A trial date has not yet been set.
The indictment alleges that between November 2021 and March 2022, in the Eastern District of Tennessee, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing Fentanyl and 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 846, 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(A).
If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of ten years’ imprisonment and up to a maximum of life imprisonment, five years on supervised release, and a fine of up to $10,000,000.
The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chattanooga Resident Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Chattanooga Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and Red Bank Police Department. Numerous agencies from the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force assisted in the investigation.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
The investigation was also conducted as part of DEA’s Operation Overdrive. Launched February 1, 2022, Operation Overdrive uses a data-driven, intelligence-led approach to identify and dismantle criminal drug networks operating in areas with the highest rates of violence and overdoses. DEA, working in partnership with its fellow federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, has mapped the threats and initiated enforcement operations against those networks in 34 locations across 23 states in the initial phase of Operation Overdrive.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin T. Brown will represent the United States. Brown is a Special Assistant City Attorney with the Chattanooga Police Department assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office to prosecute violations of federal firearm and drug laws.
Members of the public are reminded that an indictment constitutes only charges and that every person is presumed innocent until their guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
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