More than two pounds of fentanyl seized in latest ‘313 Initiative’ drug bust

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said Friday five more people from Detroit were arrested in an ongoing investigation after multiple law enforcement agencies obtained a search warrant for a home on Willoughby Road in South Knoxville.

On Thursday afternoon, Knoxville Police Department officers and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms seized over two pounds of fentanyl, official said. Several ounces of meth, cocaine, marijuana, cash and a gun were also seized, according to the TBI.

Ricardo Diandre Briggs, 38, Sylvester Neal III, 44, Paul Sanchez Biggs, 35, Eric Nathaniel Bradford, 54, and Kenneth Jamal Briggs, 36, are all from Detroit, Michigan. All suspects are being held in the Knox County Jail, and face felony charges.

The 313 Initiative started in December. The initiative, named after Detroit’s area code, is an effort by several state and local law enforcement agencies to target and dismantle drug trafficking from the Detroit area into Knox County and surrounding areas.