Big Drug Bust in Memphis Suburbs

Some high-school aged kids are partially responsible for breaking-up an alleged drug ring. Their poor choices lead authorities straight to the dealers, who stretched all the way to Chicago. This all started when police officers in Germantown and Collierville noticed a growing number of heroin arrests and over-doses in their suburban communities. They were coming from adults, and teenagers as well.

"In Shelby County, there were a number of heroin-related arrests in the cities of Germantown and Collierville. As a result of that, the police departments in those two cities contacted the West Tennessee Drug Task Force," Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons said.

Nine people in Shelby County were indicted. Two in Chicago are also in trouble for allegedly supplying it all.

"We were seeing ounce quantities of heroin in Shelby County during his investigation and that is a tremendous, significant amount," Dave McGriff from the Drug Task Force said.

McGriff says the high schoolers, who lived in Germantown and Collierville, were experimenting with the dangerous drug.

"I think this is a significant indication that heroin use is on the rise in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee," McGriff said.

Some high school students in Germantown say this is the first time they've heard of kids their age using heroin.

"Don't you inject it with a needle or something? I just know that it's really serious and I wouldn't expect anyone at our school to be doing it," high school student Anne Chandler said.

But these students have heard about the dangers.

"That they're bad, we shouldn't do them at all, and that it's a serious matter," high school student Max O'Neal said.

Seven of the nine people charged face felonies. And, their bonds range from 50-thousand to two-million dollars.

INDICTED BY THE SHELBY COUNTY GRAND JURY

Christopher Watts
• Sale of a controlled substance (3 counts)
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Heroin (4 counts)
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Dihydrocodeinone (2 counts)
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Oxycodone
• Conspiracy to Sell/Deliver Heroin o/150g (2 counts – class A felony)

Maurice Johnson
• Sale of a controlled substance Heroin (15 counts)
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/intent to del/sell Heroin (2 counts)
• Conspiracy to Sell/Deliver Heroin o/150 g (2 counts – Class A felony)

Donald Watkins aka Donnie Shields
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Heroin (Class A Felony)

Carolyn Ray
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Ecstacy
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Oxycodone
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Dihydrocodeinone
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Alprazolam
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Marijuana

Sandra Wolfe
• Sale of a controlled substance Heroin

Kevin Howard
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Heroin (2 counts)
• Possession of a hand gun during a dangerous felony
• Convicted felon in possession of a hand gun

Conor Mullen
• Unlawful possession of a controlled substance w/ intent to del/sell Heroin