Members of the Memphis Safe Task Force arrested a group of people Tuesday, Sept. 15, after officers serving an aggravated robbery warrant found them unloading a stolen commercial shipment of frozen chicken from a semi-trailer behind a motel.
The stop happened in the rear parking lot of the Economy Inn at 3896 Lamar Avenue, near Old Getwell Road. Officers arrived about 9 a.m. looking for Javunte Johnson, 33, who had an outstanding warrant for aggravated robbery. They found Johnson and others transferring boxes from an 18-wheeler into passenger vehicles. People fled when police appeared. Officers said they took everyone they pursued into custody.
The cargo was a Koch Foods frozen-chicken shipment that originated in Morton, Mississippi, and was supposed to go to Swedesboro, New Jersey. The U.S. Marshals Service initially valued the pallets at $250,000. Memphis police later told FreightWaves that Koch Foods valued the load at about $110,000. That $110,000 figure is the valuation confirmed by police after they spoke with the shipper.
Memphis police arrested 13 people after catching them unloading more than $250,000 worth of stolen fried chicken from an 18-wheeler behind a motel. Officers also recovered guns, fentanyl and cocaine. pic.twitter.com/fvVDUGB3C1
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 18, 2026
Robert Wilson, 56, was identified as the truck driver. He was working as an independent contractor under Armada Freight Inc., which owned the tractor and trailer. Wilson told investigators he was handing over the load to pay a drug debt owed to one of the men at the scene. Armada said he did not have permission to distribute the merchandise and ended his contracting relationship. Investigators said they contacted the carrier and the company that hired it and determined the cargo being unloaded was stolen.
Officers recovered three handguns. An affidavit described a Glock 42 found near a vehicle associated with Johnson and another handgun thrown into a blue SUV. Detectives also reported fentanyl and marijuana on Quantrivious Shavers, 25, and cocaine on Samuel Jackson, 38. Court records cited by FreightWaves said officers recovered 121 boxes or cases of frozen chicken from three vehicles: about 30 cases in a blue SUV, 50 boxes in a 2009 Nissan Armada and 41 boxes in a 2009 Cadillac DTS. Armada later recovered and disposed of cargo that remained on the trailer.
The Marshals Service said Johnson was found with 12 other people, a total of 13 arrests. Memphis police publicly identified and charged 12 people. Neither agency has named a 13th defendant tied specifically to the motel stop. A Marshals release covering the same day’s citywide task-force activity listed 49 arrests overall, including one juvenile — a broader daily total, not the chicken case alone.
Memphis police booking photos of the people charged in the Lamar Avenue case.
