- Authorities arrested 13 people and took 10 into ICE custody after a Columbia, Tennessee gambling raid.
- Officers seized $1,328,269 in cash, 144 machines, and more than 100 pounds of kratom and THC-A.
- The coordinated operation used 22 search warrants across 20 businesses and two homes in Middle Tennessee.
Thirteen people were arrested in Columbia, Tennessee, and 10 were taken into ICE custody after a coordinated gambling raid seized $1,328,269 in cash, 144 machines and more than 100 pounds of kratom and THC-A. Officers carried out the operation on August 25, 2026.
Columbia Police Chief Jeremy Haywood announced the results at a news conference the next day. He described the case as a multi-agency investigation targeting convenience-store gambling activity in Middle Tennessee.
The takedown began at 10 a.m. Investigators served 22 search warrants across 20 businesses in Columbia and two residences, including a second home in Gallatin.
The arrests extended beyond the local police department’s initial gambling case. ICE became involved after officers questioned whether some suspects were using false identification.
The raid removed cash, machines and more than 100 pounds of product
The operation produced $1,328,269 in cash, according to the reported seizure figure. Investigators also removed 144 gambling machines from the businesses and residences.
The seized products included more than 100 pounds of kratom and THC-A. The inventory placed gambling equipment alongside substances investigators were examining as part of the broader operation.
Haywood identified 13 arrests in his account of the raid. He also confirmed that 10 of those arrested people were later taken into federal immigration custody.
The reported figures varied in precision only on the cash total. One account described the seizure as more than $1.3 million, while the most exact figure reported was $1,328,269.
Investigators used a broad agency operation against convenience-store gambling
The Columbia Police Department worked with the Gallatin Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service and TN Comptroller of the Treasury. The 22nd Judicial District Drug Task Force and 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office also participated.
ICE joined the operation’s identity-verification work. More than 100 officers from the participating agencies deployed across the warrant locations.
Investigators reportedly developed the case through undercover work. The targets were convenience stores accused of hosting gambling activity, rather than a single gambling venue.
The warrants covered two Tennessee communities. Most locations were in Columbia, while officers also searched a residence in Gallatin.
That geographic spread matched the operation’s regional focus. Authorities described the investigation as part of a broader effort against gambling activity in Middle Tennessee.
Identity questions brought immigration officers into the investigation
Officers called ICE to help identify people they believed were using false identification, according to the reported account of the operation. The agency ultimately took 10 detainees into custody.
One account said ICE identified two or three of the 13 arrested people as illegal immigrants. The public account did not describe the immigration status of the remaining detainees.
An arrest does not by itself establish removability under federal immigration law. ICE custody can lead to separate immigration proceedings, but the outcome depends on each person’s status, immigration history, charges and any defenses that may apply.
The available account also does not establish that every person held by ICE faced the same immigration issue. Immigration consequences can differ even when people are arrested in the same criminal investigation.
A detainee or family member should obtain case-specific advice from a qualified immigration attorney. Criminal and immigration proceedings may proceed on separate tracks, and statements made in one case can affect the other.
The next stage will separate the local arrests from federal custody
Haywood’s August 26 announcement supplied the named official account of the operation and confirmed the 10-person immigration-enforcement result. The participating agencies’ roles covered search warrants, financial investigation, state investigative work, prosecution and identity checks.
The case began with a coordinated raid, but the people arrested now face different procedural questions depending on whether they remain in local criminal proceedings, federal immigration custody or both. The exact cash figure and seizure inventory provide the clearest public record of the operation’s scale.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
