Early Morning Surprise: Millington Police make mass drug arrests

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Not too many people were awake in Millington at 5 a.m. on Monday. It was when the city was quiet and unguarded during its last sunless hours of the morning, that the Millington Police Department decided to strike.

Throughout neighborhoods in Millington, Memphis, Bartlett and Tipton County, thunderous door knocks were quickly followed by promises of warrants and handcuffs as the Millington Police Department, with the help of various other agencies, attempted to arrest 60 individuals on drug charges.

This isn't the first time the department has pulled an operation like this."It's the fourth one in the last three years," Millington Police Chief Rick Jewell said. "It's kind of an ongoing thing."

Like the other roundups, the latest one took several months to plan, Jewell said. Background checks were done on suspects who had sold drugs to Millington's undercover department.

"We targeted straight level drug dealers who I feel impact our crime rate," Jewell said.

Jewell linked drug dealers to providing other crime outlets like theft and burglary.

The Shelby County Grand Jury indicted 45 people on multiple drug sales, and warrants were acquired through General Session Court for 15 other individuals.

Bonds were set from $20,000 to $50,000, Jewell said.

While planning was a huge factor to the successful arrests, Jewell also pointed out that assistance from Memphis Police Department and Shelby and Tipton County Sheriff's Departments greatly helped.

In fact, for Millington Patrolman D. Bouchard, it was outside assistance that led to his first arrest of the morning. After an unsuccessful search at the house and job of one Millington suspect, Bouchard was given a suspect by the Tipton County Sheriff's Department in Munford.

"The more municipalities that are involved, the more warrants you can serve," Bouchard said.

Since the roundups, Jewell said he has seen an impact.

"In the last three years, we've arrested 206 drug dealers. Probably one third of the 206 resided in Millington," he said. "And seized 97 vehicles."

With suspects ranging from 17 to 52 years of age, variety seems to be no stranger to drug dealers. Three suspects were even juveniles, Jewell said.

But despite age, area or number of suspects, Jewell remains hopeful that the department will nab all their suspects.

"We'll probably get half of them today, if we're lucky," he said. "But we'll get them all eventually."