NASHVILLE – Forty-four individuals were arrested on federal indictments over the weekend of August 19-23, 2026, as a part of a joint enforcement initiative combating the illegal sale of firearms and narcotics in Nashville, United States Attorney Braden H. Boucek announced today. Dubbed “Operation Last Call”, the Summer 2026 initiative combined the law enforcement efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD). “This operation resulted in the indictments and arrests of dozens of individuals who have been illegally selling firearms and dangerous drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, and crack on the streets of Nashville,” said U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “This large-scale, months long effort shows that the combined efforts of federal and local law enforcement can have positive effects in the fight against the illegal trafficking of firearms and drugs.” As described in court filings, ATF, USMS, and MNPD utilized undercover federal agents to make controlled firearm and narcotics purchases from individuals in multiple areas of Nashville. The areas were determined after a three-year review of shots fired calls, shooting crimes, and analysis provided by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). Another law enforcement agency in another state then reviewed the collected data to determine focus areas without regard to population or socioeconomic factors. “This was a data driven operation,” U.S. Attorney Boucek said, “focused on real incidents of shootings and violent crime, many of which are drug related, that have victimized innocent civilians.” The operation seized over 160 firearms off the street, many of them assault-style rifles equipped with high-capacity magazines. Law enforcement also seized multiple “switches” or machine gun conversion devices which are illegal add-ons that turn pistols into machine guns. Finally, agents and detectives removed over two kilograms of methamphetamine, over one kilogram of fentanyl, and over half-kilogram quantities of powder cocaine and crack from Nashville’s streets. “Every illegal firearm removed from the hands of a violent offender or prohibited person and every illegal narcotic removed from our communities potentially saves lives,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Jamey VanVliet. “The ATF is committed to disrupting violent crime in our communities, but ‘Operation Last Call’ would not have been successful without the partnerships and collaborative efforts of the men and women from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and the United States Attorney’s Office.”“The U.S. Marshals Service specializes in apprehending fugitives, and we are always ready to work with our local and federal partners to make sure that defendants are apprehended so they can be held accountable in a court of law,” said Denny King, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Tennessee. “This hard work we put in during this operation shows that when law enforcement works together, we can deliver positive results for the citizens of our community.”“Operation Last Call is precision policing in the truest sense,” said Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake. “The guns seized, totaling more than 150, will not be part of a future homicide, robbery or shooting incident. I am grateful to the front-line detectives in our Specialized Investigations Division, ATF agents, deputy U.S. Marshals and the U.S…
Source: U.S. Department of Justice