DEA Dismantles MS-13 Cell in Nashville

Federal authorities announced Monday the dismantling of an MS-13 cell operating in Nashville, Tennessee, following a nine-month investigation that led to multiple arrests and drug seizures.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, agents executed a series of court-authorized search warrants across the Nashville metropolitan area earlier in the day. At least 17 alleged MS-13 members and associates were taken into custody across Tennessee, California, and Oklahoma. Authorities also seized marijuana, counterfeit pills, cocaine, THC vapes, liquid psilocybin, and several firearms, including assault rifles.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole described the operation as a significant step in the agency’s broader effort to target drug trafficking organizations. “MS-13 has left a trail of violence and devastation across communities nationwide,” Cole said, adding that the arrests were part of an ongoing campaign to curtail the gang’s influence.

Jim Scott, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Louisville Field Division, echoed the sentiment, calling the enforcement action “the first of what will be many strikes” against the group.

MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, is an international criminal organization that originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s before expanding to Central America and across the United States. The gang is widely associated with violent crimes, including extortion, human trafficking, and homicide, and has long been identified by U.S. officials as a public safety and national security threat.

The Nashville operation involved multiple agencies, including the Army Criminal Investigation Division; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the FBI; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; and local police and task forces.

Officials emphasized that the action is part of a larger federal strategy to combat transnational organized crime. The DEA encouraged members of the public with information about MS-13 or related activity to provide anonymous tips through its website.