Federal agents searched a Mt. Juliet rental home on War Admiral Court as part of a sweeping drug trafficking investigation tied to the Sinaloa Cartel, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Tennessee.
A federal grand jury in Nashville returned a 33-count indictment on Oct. 21 charging 24 people with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and marijuana. The indictment was unsealed Tuesday, Oct. 27, the same day Wilson County Sheriff's Office deputies helped execute search warrants at two locations in Wilson County.
One of those locations was 5025 War Admiral Ct. in Mt. Juliet. Neighbors told the Lebanon Democrat the home is a rental property where "multiple families" had lived over the past year. Officials told neighbors there was no threat to the area.
As we reported Wednesday, Oct. 28, the FBI executed a search and arrest warrant at the home, but few details were available at the time.
The Wilson County Sheriff's Office described both Wilson County locations as critical hubs for the Sinaloa Cartel, according to Wilson County Source. The second location has not been publicly identified.
Alleged leaders ran operation from prison
Two alleged high-ranking members of the organization, Humberto Morales, 34, and Jose Martin Perez, 30, are accused of coordinating the trafficking operation while incarcerated in Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) facilities on unrelated convictions, according to court documents cited in the U.S. Attorney's announcement. Officials have not disclosed which prisons held the two men, Fox 17 reported.
The organization allegedly operated under the direction of individuals in Mexico known as "the Office," who coordinated drug trafficking in the United States on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel, according to court documents. Members relied on Signal, an encrypted messaging application, to coordinate transactions and avoid detection.
U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek said the organization "allegedly moved massive quantities of deadly drugs into our communities, with two of its leaders directing operations from inside Tennessee prisons."
What was seized
The investigation produced seizures of approximately 500 kilograms of methamphetamine, 20 kilograms of fentanyl, 60 kilograms of cocaine, more than $375,000 in cash, multiple firearms and five vehicles, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The organization allegedly moved shipments weekly from September 2025 through September 2026, Fox 17 reported. To avoid detection, the group rotated couriers and vehicles, used vehicles registered to other people, swapped license plates and frequently changed vehicle ownership, according to court documents.
Local role in the investigation
Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan said the investigation grew out of local casework. "We obtained information while working several cases in Wilson County and found where it was connected with cases in other counties including Rutherford County, Putnam County and Metro Nashville," Bryan told the Lebanon Democrat.
The sheriff's office also provided surveillance support on the Mt. Juliet residences, Bryan said. Charges are pending against other individuals detained during the search warrants, according to Bryan.
Of the 24 defendants, seven were physically arrested during the Tuesday, Oct. 27, operation in Nashville, Mt. Juliet, Cookeville and Stockton, California, Fox 17 reported. Sixteen were already in state custody on unrelated charges. One defendant has an active warrant.
If convicted, Morales faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and up to life in federal prison. The remaining 23 defendants each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life. Nine defendants also face firearm charges carrying an additional mandatory five-year sentence that must run consecutively.
An indictment is an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The government is seeking pretrial detention of all 24 defendants, citing danger to the community, risk of flight and potential obstruction of justice.
