GRUNDY COUNTY, Tenn. — A former Tennessee drug task force director has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, and an investigative report reveals he also misappropriated thousands of dollars in public funds during his tenure.
Cody Smith, the former director of the 12th Judicial District Drug Task Force, which serves multiple counties in southeastern Tennessee, pleaded guilty last week to two counts of possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell in Marion County. He was sentenced to two 10-year terms, which will be probated after serving 11 months and 29 days in custody.
In a separate development, the Tennessee Comptroller’s Office released a report Monday detailing financial misconduct by Smith during his time leading the agency. The investigation found Smith misappropriated $7,246 in confidential and seized drug enforcement funds between 2017 and 2021.
According to the report:
Smith used funds for controlled drug purchases without supporting documentation.
He took cash seized from suspects without properly documenting it.
He allegedly forged another officer’s signature on a document that concealed the seizure of $3,771.
Investigators also questioned $4,225 in undocumented confidential fund expenditures.
Smith was terminated from his position on May 31, 2021.
Despite the findings, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp confirmed that no criminal charges will be pursued regarding the financial misconduct due to the statute of limitations expiring before the case could be presented to a grand jury.
The 12th Judicial District Drug Task Force serves the counties of Bledsoe, Rhea, Sequatchie, Grundy, Franklin, and Marion, and previously covered Van Buren and Warren Counties during the period of Smith’s alleged misconduct.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about accountability and oversight in regional law enforcement agencies managing confidential drug enforcement funds.
