The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its law enforcement partners announced the successful dismantling of an MS-13 cell operating in Nashville this week, marking the culmination of a nine-month-long investigation into the gang’s criminal activities in the region.
On Tuesday, the DEA announced that a series of court-authorized search warrants were conducted throughout the metropolitan Nashville area, which resulted in at least 17 arrests of “members and associates of MS-13.”
DEA Dismantles MS-13 Cell in Nashville, which resulted in the arrests of 17 members & associates of MS-13 across (3) states, & the seizure of marijuana, counterfeit pills, cocaine, THC vapes, liquid psilocybin, & multiple firearms. @DEALouisville
Read more https://t.co/xw1brgURAr pic.twitter.com/2mTLksMClp— DEA HQ (@DEAHQ) September 16, 2025
The arrests, according to the DEA, spanned three states, including Tennessee, California, and Oklahoma.
The search warrants conducted in Nashville this week also produced bulk quantities of marijuana, counterfeit pills, cocaine, THC vapes, liquid psilocybin, and multiple firearms, including assault rifles in which investigators seized, the DEA added.
DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said this week’s arrests represent a “critical milestone in DEA’s mission to dismantle drug trafficking organizations operating in the United States and around the globe – prioritizing those designated by President Trump as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.”
In February, the U.S. State Department classified MS-13 and other international cartels and transnational organizations, including Tren de Aragua, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
“MS-13 has left a trail of violence and devastation across communities nationwide. The residents of Nashville are safer today now that these dangerous individuals will be held accountable for their destructive actions. Today’s enforcement actions are not the last. More will follow, and we will not stop until MS-13 is no longer able to inflict harm on our communities,” Cole added.
In addition to its federal partners, the DEA collaborated with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, local Tennessee drug task forces 23rd Judicial Drug Task Force and 19th Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to dismantle the MS-13 cell.
U.S. senator and 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was among the Tennessee leaders who praised the operation in Nashville.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
