Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
On September 13, 2024, Cody Andrew Seals, 27, of Luttrell, Tennessee, was sentenced to 30 years in prison by United States District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville.
On April 16, 2024, Seals pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and attempted murder of two Tennessee Highway Patrol Troopers. These charges are violations of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841(b)(1)(A), 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), and 18 U.S.C. § 1114 respectively.
According to court documents, federal law enforcement agents were investigating a Mexican drug trafficking cartel distributing methamphetamine into the Eastern District of Tennessee. On January 9, 2020, Seals was observed driving to a hotel to purchase large quantities of methamphetamine and heroin. Law enforcement officials followed him and requested assistance from the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) to stop his vehicle.
As two THP Troopers attempted a traffic stop on Highway 27 north of Chattanooga, Seals fled at high speed and fired a handgun at them. After a chase lasting several minutes, THP Troopers forced Seals' truck to stop on the highway. He exited his truck and began firing a rifle at both troopers, striking one in the leg. The troopers returned fire non-fatally striking Seals who then ceased shooting and was arrested. A subsequent search of his truck resulted in the seizure of methamphetamine, heroin, and several firearms.
United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud made the announcement.
The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies including Homeland Security Investigations, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tennessee’s 9th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Quencer represented the United States in this case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation which aims to identify and dismantle high-level drug traffickers using a multi-agency approach that leverages federal, state, and local law enforcement resources against criminal networks.
Alerts Sign-up