TOP PHOTO:  This week Billy Davis pleaded guilty to federal cocaine charges.

KNOXVILLE, TN (WLAF)- Billy H. Davis is looking at federal jail time following his plea on Tuesday.

Last year, Davis spent five days in jail after being charged with one count of conspiring to distribute and process with the intent to distribute a schedule II controlled substance (Cocaine) in the amount of 5 kilograms or more.

He was scheduled to have his case heard in front of a jury but opted to plead to a lesser charge this week.

The intent to distribute cocaine portion of the charges remained intact but the amount of cocaine was adjusted with it being reduced from 5 kilograms to 500 grams. While Davis, of LaFollette, did enter a plea in federal court, he wasn’t sentenced. That will be done at a later date.

Within the plea, Davis acknowledged his admittance of guilt could net him between five and 40 years in prison, have a supervised release of at least four years and face a fine of up to $5 million along with a $100 special assessment, according to court records.

In the plea, Davis agreed he was “personally responsible” for distributing 1.5 kilograms of cocaine.

Davis and one of his co-defendants, Johnny A. Tackett, trafficked narcotics with a confidential source 18 times beginning in Dec. 2018 until March 2019. Over the course of four months, the source bought cocaine and marijuana from the two with Tackett acting as the go between, court records said. Initially, the source would go to Tackett’s house and wait for him to go to Davis’ home to retrieve the drugs. Eventually, Davis began curbside service delivering the drugs to Tackett’s house in a silver Ford F150, the same truck that authorities had placed a tracking device on. The surveillance records matched with information of the tracking unit along with the information from the confidential source confirmed the drug trafficking.

This accumulation of evidence gave authorities enough cause to conduct a traffic stop on Davis in March 2019.

When police searched the truck, 25 ounces of marijuana and $10,418 was found. Among the just over $10,000 was $960 in marked money the drug task force had used the day before when the source bought cocaine from Davis and Tackett, court records said. Davis further allowed police to search his home where they discovered another 1.3 ounces of marijuana, 9.4 ounces of cocaine along with “several guns, a digital scale and ledgers.”

Davis and Tackett aren’t alone in their legal woes. The original federal indictment named a total of 11 men.

The group of 11, which dubbed their business Proffitts 360, according to records indicating money seized from a bank account bearing that name, trafficked in illegal activities from July 2018 until May 2019.

During the course of the federal investigation DEA authorities began seizing money from members of the group. In March 2019, authorities seized the $10,418 from Davis. A few months later law enforcement confiscated $11,960 from Christopher M. Wyrick and Khadashia J. Wyrick, both of Knoxville, and later seized just over $28,000 from the Proffitts 360 bank account, federal court records indicate. Money wasn’t the only thing the group had taken. A Lexus and Range Rover were taken as authorities moved in on the group as well numerous pieces of gold and diamond jewelry. In the event of a conviction, any seized item, if connected to the alleged drug trade, will be forfeited under U.S. law.

While Davis and Tackett are facing federal narcotics charges, they seemingly avoided the money laundering charges faced by others in the group.

A sentencing date has not been set for Davis and Tackett has yet to plead. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED- 05/21/2020-6AM)

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