Memphis, TN – Federal authorities have announced sweeping charges against a group accused of running a large-scale, multi-state drug trafficking network that stretched from Tennessee to California. Officials stated that fourteen of the fifteen individuals named in the indictment are now in custody, with one suspect still unaccounted for as investigators continue to follow new leads.
Multi-Agency Investigation Uncovered a Multi-State Trafficking Pipeline
An 18-month investigation, known to agents as Operation Been Getting Bags, brought together the Drug Enforcement Administration and a coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement partners. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, investigators believe the operation began as early as June 2024 and continued through November 2025.
Authorities say the organization moved large quantities of illegal drugs and laundered money across several states. During the investigation, agents seized hundreds of pounds of narcotics, cash, firearms, and equipment linked to cultivation and distribution.
Officials Describe a Large, Well-Organized Trafficking Operation
In announcing the indictment, U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant said, “Today, I’m pleased to announce the unsealing of a federal indictment charging 15 members of a drug trafficking organization with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering.” He added that fourteen defendants have been arrested, while one remains at large.
Investigators recovered 207 pounds of marijuana, two ounces of crack cocaine, approximately 1,850 cultivated marijuana plants, two kilo presses, and around $550,000 in cash. Authorities also seized 50 firearms, two marijuana grow labs—one in Oklahoma and one in Memphis—and luxury vehicles and jewelry valued at more than $1 million.
Arrests Spanned Multiple States Across the Trafficking Network
Those taken into custody were arrested across the country, including nine in Tennessee, two in Oklahoma, two in Texas, and one in California. DEA Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott noted that among those arrested was a Chinese national identified as a key supplier for the organization…