Two leaders of a major local drug trafficking operation, that spurred an eight-month-long undercover investigation by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, were sentenced to 20-year prison last week in DeKalb County Criminal Court. The men were among nine people arrested in the sting.

Indictments were handed down in June, 2023 against 52-year-old Shawn David Troglen of Charlie Dickerson Road, Sparta, and 49-year-old Charles Edward White, Jr. of Johnson’s Chapel Road, Sparta, both of which were involved in what a law enforcement investigation termed “Operation Ice Pick.” The men were two of nine people indicted in a special session of the DeKalb County Grand Jury for conspiracy to sell more than 300 grams of methamphetamine. The TBI and other agencies joined the sheriff’s department in the investigation from February to October 2021, in which drug buys were made through confidential informants.

On Tuesday, June 20, Judge Wesley Bray sentenced Troglen to a 20-year sentence, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell more than 300 grams of methamphetamine. He must forfeit all property seized to the investigating agency and he was fined $5,000. The sentence is to run concurrently with a Putnam County case against him in which he also entered a plea to possession of more than 26 grams of meth and received a 20-year sentence to serve. In that case, Troglen must also forfeit all property and contraband seized to the investigating agency. The 20-year term is to run consecutively to a sentence he is now serving for a parole revocation. He was given jail credit from June 9, 2022 to June 20, 2023.

White pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell over 300 grams of methamphetamine, sale of more than 0.5 grams of meth (2 counts), and sale of more than 26 grams of meth (2 counts). He also received a 20-year sentence to serve in one case, and eight years in each of the other four, all to run concurrently with a total fine of $5,000. He must serve at least 35 percent before becoming eligible for parole and he must forfeit all property and contraband seized to the investigating agency. White was given jail credit of 376 days.

According to DeKalb Sheriff’s Detective Mason Merriman, the investigation began in early 2021 and slowly evolved through controlled buys and surveillance.

“In February 2021, we began an investigation into Charles Edward White, Jr., and were able to utilize confidential sources to purchase 3.5 grams, or an 8-ball, of methamphetamine from him. From that point on we began hearing his name more and more, and we contacted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and started purchasing larger amounts just to see exactly how big a dealer he was.” Merriman explained.

“Over time, we were able to utilize an undercover TBI agent to make the purchases. Through countless hours of surveillance, we were able to get a T-3 wire intercept to tap into his phones, and through that we were able to learn the names of other people involved in the conspiracy,” Merriman continued.

“By the end of October 2021, White and his partner, Shawn David Troglen, traveled to Alabama to meet their source, Robert H. Murdock, and picked up 13 pounds of meth, along with a couple of pounds of marijuana.”

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that Chief Deputy Brian Williams and the TBI then arrested White and Troglen at a gas station in Pulaski on their return trip. Officials say that White and Troglen had made the trip to Killen, Alabama, in a Ford F-350 with a motorcycle in the back, but on the return trip White was riding the motorcycle with Troglen following. Fearing they would be unable to stop the motorcycle from fleeing, it was decided to make the arrests when the pair had stopped at a gas station. The pair had been under surveillance all along their trip, with a plane in the air. Investigators seized the drugs, $10,000 in cash, guns, the truck and the motorcycle.

The Alabama DEA was also involved in the bust. A search warrant was executed at Murdock’s home in Killen, Alabama, where another two pounds of meth, marijuana and several thousands of dollars in cash were found.

Later that evening, a search warrant was executed at White’s home on Johnson’s Chapel Road, where an additional 10 ounces of meth was discovered. Eight vehicles, including wreckers and rollbacks, four wheelers, a tire changer, and two jet skis, were seized at White’s home that officials say were traded for drugs. That property was later awarded to the Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities say that Troglen had another source for drugs in the Knoxville area, who was also arrested by the DEA. Troglen would order five to seven kilos of meth, which is 2.2 pounds each, and she would bring the drugs to him. From September 15 to October 29, roughly a one-month span, around 43 pounds of methamphetamines was put through DeKalb County, with $325,000 of total revenue.

In addition to DeKalb County the drug trafficking operation drew buyers from Warren, Van Buren, White and Putnam counties, with some traveling as far away as Kentucky to pick up drugs. Four states were involved with connections in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia. Authorities believe that the source of the drugs was most likely from super labs in Mexico and estimate that during the eight months of the investigation possibly $1.5 million in drug transactions were made.

After White was out on bond for the arrest in Pulaski, on May 12, 2022, another search warrant was executed at White’s home where more meth and five more vehicles were seized, along with some other equipment.

“White and Troglen are the biggest methamphetamine dealers I’ve seen around here in a long, long time,” said Sheriff Ray “I want to commend the detectives and chief deputy here for the work that they put into this case. Detective Merriman spearheaded this case from the beginning, He worked in depth on the case and put in numerous hours from February 2021 on.”

“I also want to thank the TBI and all the other agencies that helped us, along with the District Attorney General’s office for the cooperation we had with them. We’re a small county with limited resources, and this was a multi-jurisdictional case that led into another state. Without their help we could not have done it,” Sheriff Ray said.

Agencies involved in the investigation included the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, TBI, Middle Tennessee Task Force High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force, Office of the 13th Judicial District Attorney General, Homeland Security Investigations, Cookeville Police Department, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Crossville Police Department, and Warren County Sheriff’s Office.