Moss takes plea deal, jail time suspended on multiple drug, weapons charges
by Shane Wofford
A Humboldt business owner has pled guilty to felony charges as a result of a raid on his business last year. Brian Moss, owner of Humboldt 24 Hour Fitness, was in court Wednesday, January 29 for charges he received during September of last year following a search of his property by the West Tennessee Drug Task Force. Moss was charged with multiple crimes including attempted possession of a Schedule 1 drug with intent to sell/deliver, which is a class C felony in the state of Tennessee.
The raid and subsequent arrest in September was not the first time Moss and his business had been the target of an investigation by the task force. In July of 2023, officers conducted a search of Humboldt 24 Hour Fitness, located in the former WalMart building on Central Ave., as a result of a controlled delivery of illegal psilocybin products to the business. Moss, alongside two other individuals, was charged with several drug and weapons related offenses. Aside from the delivery itself, officers uncovered substantial evidence of illegal narcotic distribution, 29 firearms and over $150,000 in suspected drug proceeds. This raid was described as the largest drug bust in the history of the 28th Judicial Drug Task Force.
Moss had been released on bond and had not yet been tried for the previous raid when his business was again targeted by task force agents in September of 2024.
“During the search, agents seized a steroid lab, suspected finished steroids, Tianeptine (a synthetically produced drug that mimics opioids and is also known as Zsa Zsa Red, a Schedule II controlled substance), marijuana, multiple pills, six weapons, six vehicles and $21,496 in suspected drug proceeds,” Drug Task Force Director Johnie Carter stated in a press release.
In addition, authorities recovered a backpack containing an FN Five-seven handgun; a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun; a Spikes Tactical AR pistol; and a Glock 42 .380 cal. handgun. Also charged in this most recent raid was Moss’s wife, Nycole Moss. Nycole is the owner of Savvy Boutique, which operates out of the same building as 24 Hour Fitness.
Moss was detained and placed into custody immediately following the raid, where he remained until his court date last Wednesday.
As a result of his guilty plea, he will receive a six-year suspended sentence with conditions. One of these conditions is the forfeiture of the building in which his business was located to the West Tennessee Drug Task Force. Brian must also forfeit all firearms recovered during the raids on his property, as well as the $153,421 seized by agents. The prosecution decided against pursuing charges against Nycole, provided that she maintains a clean record from here on.
“We want to thank our West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force for their hard work, as well as all the law enforcement agencies who have assisted with this investigation,” said District Attorney General Frederick Agee in a statement, “Assistant District Attorney Nina W. Seiler did an outstanding job of prosecuting this case for our office. Also, we commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District and the U.S. Postal Inspector for their additional prosecution. Our goals were to hold Mr. Moss accountable by convicting him of a felony drug charge and forfeiting his ownership of a property located on a main economic corridor in Humboldt that was being used for illegal activity.”
