NASHVILLE, TN – Thirty-eight individuals, including eight members and associates of the MS-13 gang, have been charged in a series of federal cases involving drug trafficking, firearms offenses, assault on law enforcement, and immigration violations, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.
The charges stem from investigations conducted under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The initiative targets criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations operating in the United States.
The Nashville HSTF includes agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the ATF, FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, and other federal, state, and local partners.
“These efforts illustrate law enforcement’s commitment to stop gang violence, combat the scourge of fentanyl overdoses here in Middle Tennessee, and hold offenders accountable,” said Acting U.S. Attorney McGuire.
Cases include defendants charged with trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, carjacking, and possession of firearms by individuals illegally present in the United States. Several MS-13 members were charged with violent crimes, including assaulting federal officers and firearms offenses connected to homicide investigations.
The prosecutions are being led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katy Risinger, Joshua Kurtzman, and Emily Petro, with Risinger serving as the lead HSTF attorney for the Nashville division.
