Drug Den Closed due to Drug Trafficking and Overdoses

Prosecutors and investigators on the Drug Related Death Task Force have closed a residence that is a haven for drug use and drug distribution and that has been the scene of two overdoses. 1617 Fay Street was closed today by order of Judge Bob McGee under the state nuisance law.

According to a petition filed by General Allen, an individual overdosed and died at the residence last July. Another individual overdosed at the residence in October, but EMS was able to revive the victim after administering naloxone. The Knoxville Police Department and DA’s Office continued to receive citizen complaints about drug activity at the residence. Within the past week, officers made two controlled purchases of heroin from within the residence.

The Drug Related Death Task Force is a multi-agency investigation and prosecution team that examines overdoses that occur in this jurisdiction as a means to combat the opiate epidemic. Founded last year under the direction of the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA), the task force consists of prosecutors and coordinators from the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office, investigators from the Knoxville Police Department, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, medical examiners and investigators from the Knox County Regional Forensic Center, and intelligence analysts from AHIDTA. The goal of the task force is to decrease overdoses by holding drug dealers accountable when their drug trafficking leads to overdose deaths and by gaining intelligence about the opiate epidemic that can be used by member agencies and others to fight this ever-increasing problem.

This nuisance injunction marks the fifty-third closure by the District Attorney’s Office and Knoxville Police Department in their ongoing collaboration to make neighborhoods safer from the activities that affect the safety and quality of life of residents in this community.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.