Drug charges for 39 people in Tennessee, Georgia, Indiana

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - More than three dozen people have been charged with trafficking drugs into Tennessee from Georgia and Indiana, authorities said.

An investigation that began in March 2020 led to indictment of 39 people on charges that they brought drugs such as methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine into the Knoxville area, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release Thursday.

Agents used search warrants, traffic stops and surveillance operations to seize large amounts of illegal drugs that were primarily supplied from people living in Georgia and Indiana, the TBI said.

Agents also seized firearms from violent convicted felons, said the TBI, which is Tennessee's state police agency.

A Knox County grand jury returned the indictments in December. As of Thursday, 28 people had been arrested as part of the investigation.