By Mitchell Kline
The Tennessean
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Suspected drug dealers in and around Franklin got a harsh wake-up call Tuesday morning.
Franklin police launched a roundup before 6 a.m. targeting 19 people indicted on drug charges.
Many of the indictments were for the sale of cocaine, but some also included the sale of marijuana and ecstasy.
By 10 a.m., 16 people were taken into custody. Thirteen of those arrested had been indicted on drug charges.
Three people were arrested and charged with drug possession while police were serving warrants, but they had not been indicted.
The raid, dubbed Operation Stuffed Turkey, involved police in Brentwood and Franklin, the U.S. Marshal Service and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Sgt. Rodney Escobar, who oversees the vice and narcotics division in Franklin, said the raid came at the conclusion of a two-year investigation. He said many of the people arrested were street-level dealers who obtained drugs from crime organizations.
Twelve teams of officers and agents fanned out before sunrise to make arrests, mainly at homes in Franklin, Brentwood, Columbia, Eagleville and Hermitage.
“The purpose of this operation is two-fold,” said Deputy Chief David Rahinsky, head of criminal investigations for Franklin Police.
“We’re hoping one, to make it more difficult for recreational drug users to purchase drugs in Franklin and in our county.
“The other message is to these drug dealers and others that we won’t tolerate illicit drug dealing in Franklin or Williamson County.”
Copyright 2007 The Tennessean