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Judge asked to throw out wiretap evidence in Chattanooga cocaine case

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By Tyler Jett 4 min read

photo Joe Jenkins

After two days of testimony and arguments, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bill Carter summarized a court hearing’s key issue with one question.

If police can arrest one drug dealer but want to arrest more people — the dealer’s suppliers and the dealer’s dealers — can they get a wiretap?

Carter listened Friday as an attorney for Joe Jenkins asked him to throw out evidence against her client obtained through a wiretap. She said police overstepped Jenkins’ constitutional rights when they listened to his phone calls.

Attorney Leslie Cory argued that police could have just arrested Juanzell Jenkins, Joe’s brother, back in 2009, when they had evidence pointing to him as a prominent cocaine dealer.

Instead, police used that evidence to get a wiretap on Juanzell Jenkins and heard him talk to Joe Jenkins on the phone, supposedly about selling drugs.