Knoxville — A raid on a home in East Knoxville ended a six-month investigation and took more than a $100,000 worth of illegal drugs off the street.
"This is part of the scourge of the opioid epidemic," said Lee Tramell, chief deputy of the Knox County Sheriff's Office.
Officers with KCSO's narcotics division raided a home on Burns Road Tuesday morning. In addition to the drugs, they seized more than $80,000 in cash and three weapons.
Four men, all from Michigan, face multiple charges for the sell and delivery of Schedule 2 and Schedule 6 narcotics. The drugs seized were of many varieties, everything from prescription drugs to marijuana.
Tramel said they are part of a drug pipeline from Detroit to Knoxville "bringing this poison to our community."
Darius Attles, Roy Washington and Robin Ray Mapp are in custody. The fourth man, Andrew Lockhart VI, jumped out of a window when officers arrived.
"That didn't go so well for him," said Tramel. Lockhart is being treated at UT Medical Center but will be transferred to jail when he is released.
Tramel said this is the 16th search warrant served by the narcotics division since October. He praised their work and the arrests, but cautioned that there is a long way to go.
"This is a brief pause for them," he said. "They'll be right back it."
Drugs like this come in weekly, said Tramel, and part of the supply comes down I-75 from the Detroit area.
"We certainly don't mind people from Michigan coming to Knoxville, but if you're going to come, leave your drugs at home," he said.
Tramel said drugs like these are the nexus for so much of the crime in our community.
"If we cut the addiction," he said. "We cut our crime rate. We want to get people the help they need or send them to prison."