MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two men were arrested on felony drug and weapons charges after being pulled over by Homeland Security agents for running a red light, court records show.
It occurred on Claymore Drive in Whitehaven, on the first full day of the Memphis Safe Task Force operation.
R’Tavius Cunigan, 19, and Ladarrius Bland, 24, were both booked in the Shelby County Jail on charges of unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a deadly weapon, and possession of a controlled substance to manufacture, deliver, or sell.
According to the affidavit of complaint, special agents with the Department of Homeland Security advised officers that they saw a Tan Dodge Challenger run the red light at Graves and Winchester.
Agents followed the challenger to the 3500 block of Claymore and initiated a stop.
HSI agents said Cunigan was driving the car and had a Glock handgun in his pants, two small bags of marijuana on his seat, and nearly $1,000 in his pocket.
They said Bland also had a small bag of marijuana and $59 in his pocket, and there was a handgun under his seat. Both guns were loaded.
Agents said they also located a black Nike backpack in the car that contained multiple bags of marijuana and a gram scale behind the driver’s seat. Neither suspect stated who the backpack belonged to.
Hundreds of officers from 13 agencies, including the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of Homeland Security, were first spotted near Mullins Station Road at Shelby Farms Monday night for an operational briefing.
The mayor of Memphis said Tuesday night he does not know how long the task force will be in Memphis.
Both suspects are being held on a $20,000 bond each and scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.