Major Drug Bust in Van Buren County

Twelve men and three women were arrested today in Van Buren County on charges involving various violations of federal narcotics and firearms laws. The arrests are the result of a two-year investigation into the manufacture and distribution of methamphetamine in and around Van Buren County.

All of the individuals arrested are charged with conspiring to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and conspiring to possess and distribute pseudoephedrine for the purpose of manufacturing methamphetamine. Several also face federal charges for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Those arrested include:

• Allen Dale Cole, 46,
• Robert Helton, 46,
• Charles Helton, 48,
• Larry Sullivan, 28,
• Eddie Simmons, 32,
• Tonya Mills, 33,
• Kevin Argo, 32,
• Cheyenne Mooneyham, 36,
• Jimmy Hopkins, Jr., 32,
• Wendell Rigsby, 39,
• Titus Sullivan, 30,
• Cody McCluskey, 22,
• Amber Rogers, 25,
• Crystal Shockley, 24,
• Jeffrey Hobbs, 31,
• Joshua Simmons, 29,
• Timothy Ryan Bouldin, 24,
• and Ashley Smith, 24.

Other federal defendants are pending arrest and their names will be released upon an initial appearance before the United States Magistrate Judge.

Click HERE for details regarding the charges.

Initial appearances are scheduled for Wednesday, July 28, 2010, in United States District Court in Chattanooga, before the Honorable Susan K. Lee, United States Magistrate Judge.

Acting United States Attorney Gregg Sullivan said, "These arrests and this prosecution are part of our continuing effort to reduce the availability of methamphetamine in East Tennessee."

"The Van Buren County Sheriff's Office is thankful that this case went well and all law enforcement personnel are safe after the arrests. The citizens of our county benefit greatly from this operation," said Van Buren County Sheriff Barney Evans.

This case was part of the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) programs.