Authorities say Operation Last Call seized more than 160 firearms and large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and crack cocaine.
NASHVILLE, TN — Federal agents and Nashville police arrested 44 people on federal indictments during a five-day enforcement operation targeting illegal firearms and narcotics trafficking, authorities announced Monday.
The arrests were part of Operation Last Call, a summer initiative involving the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. The arrests took place from Aug. 19 through Aug. 23 after a months-long investigation using undercover agents and controlled purchases of firearms and drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Authorities said the operation resulted in the seizure of more than 160 firearms, including rifles equipped with high-capacity magazines and several machine gun conversion devices. Agents and detectives also seized more than 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than 1 kilogram of fentanyl and more than half a kilogram each of powder cocaine and crack cocaine.
The investigation focused on several areas of Nashville selected after law enforcement reviewed three years of shots-fired calls, shooting cases and information from the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network. Another law enforcement agency outside Tennessee reviewed the data and helped identify focus areas without considering population or socioeconomic factors, federal prosecutors said.
The areas included the Harding Place and Interstate 24 corridor, the Bell Road and Murfreesboro Pike area, the Brick Church Pike and Trinity Lane corridor and the Napier-Sudekum neighborhood. U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek said the operation was driven by data tied to shootings and violent crime rather than broad demographic characteristics.
Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake described the effort as precision policing and said officers concentrated on communities where the data indicated a greater risk of violent crime. Federal officials said undercover agents made controlled purchases from people suspected of illegally selling guns or drugs in the targeted areas before indictments were returned.
The defendants face a range of allegations, including distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and crack cocaine; possessing firearms while trafficking drugs; illegally transferring firearms; dealing firearms without a license; possessing firearms after felony convictions; and possessing machine gun conversion devices. Some defendants face multiple counts and were charged in more than one indictment.
Federal officials said 27 of the 44 people arrested have previous felony convictions. Ten defendants were on probation, parole, supervised release or bond when the conduct alleged in the federal cases occurred. Previous convictions cited by prosecutors include aggravated assault, attempted aggravated robbery, burglary, narcotics trafficking and firearm offenses.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that the indictments contain allegations and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The ATF’s Nashville Field Office, the U.S. Marshals Service for Middle Tennessee and Metro Nashville police conducted the investigations, while prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee are handling the federal cases.
The 44 defendants are expected to proceed through federal court as their individual cases move forward. Authorities had not announced final outcomes in the cases as of Tuesday, and the charges remain pending.
Author note: Last updated August 25, 2026.