MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Thirteen people were arrested after a Memphis Safe Task Force operation targeting a robbery suspect led officers to a group unloading about $250,000 worth of stolen chicken from an 18-wheeler behind a hotel, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The arrests were part of a larger operation Tuesday in which the task force reported making 49 arrests, including one juvenile, and recovering three firearms.
Authorities said task force members were serving an aggravated robbery warrant for Javunte Johnson, 33, when they located him in the back parking lot of a hotel in the 3800 block of Lamar Avenue.
Johnson was with 12 other people who were unloading pallets of stolen chicken from a tractor-trailer, according to the Marshals Service. The agency valued the shipment at $250,000.
The group ran when officers arrived, but task force members captured all 13 people.
Johnson was charged with possession of a firearm. Quantrivious Shavers, 25, and Jessie Moore, 37, who were also among those arrested, were charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. Officers recovered three handguns during the operation.
The Marshals Service reported that the Memphis Safe Task Force has made 12,796 arrests since its launch, including 131 arrests involving homicide offenses, 1,367 involving controlled substances, 1,279 involving firearms violations and 125 involving sex offenses. The agency said 414 of those arrested were juveniles and 1,415 were identified as known gang members. The task force has also reported seizing 2,163 firearms and locating 189 missing children.
The Memphis Safe Task Force was established through a presidential memorandum signed by President Donald Trump on Sept. 15, 2025. The memorandum created a federal task force to coordinate with state and local authorities on crime enforcement in Memphis and authorized requests for Tennessee National Guard support.
