DEA raids target large-scale drug trafficking ring across Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. β Federal agents dismantled a large-scale drug trafficking operation in Indianapolis on Thursday.
U.S. Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced federal criminal charges against 35 people for their alleged role in two separate drug trafficking rings.
Those charged include:
Danielle Dowling, 43, Indianapolis
Linda Bow, 56, Indianapolis
Josh Stoops, 41, Indianapolis
James Bacon, 51, Indianapolis
Micheal Fisher, 27, Indianapolis
Steve Anderson, 46, Indianapolis
James Swartz, 41, Indianapolis
Eric Poore, 42, Indianapolis
Janna Broaddus, 33, Indianapolis
Josh Unger, 36, Indianapolis
Ryan Sawyers, 37, Indianapolis
Troy Thornton, 47, Indianapolis
Darius Anthony Garcia, 33, Indianapolis
Amber Seats, 31, Indianapolis
Jeremy Osmon, 40, Indianapolis
Tyler Greenwalt , 35, Indianapolis
Guy Karnes, 28, Indianapolis
Clifford King, Jr., 27, Indianapolis
Lisa Roth, 25, Indianapolis (Fugitive)
Dylan Williams, 41, Indianapolis
Eric Walker, 30, Indianapolis
Jeffrey Sacks, 63, Indianapolis
Paula Adams, 33, Lafayette
Christopher Tate, 29, Indianapolis
Jovan Stewart, 31, Indianapolis
Robert Hinton, 33, Indianapolis (Fugitive)
Tia Dimmett, 29, Indianapolis
Lacey Guzman, 35, Indianapolis
Sandra Kellogg, 38, Silver Lake, Indiana
Desirae Evans, 40, Indianapolis
Jose Rodriguez-Chavez, 42, Indianapolis
Jason Lewis, 28, Indianapolis
Dwyatt Harris, 40, Indianapolis
Dorothy Knight, 43, Indianapolis (Fugitive)
Chaylon Rush, 52, Indianapolis (Fugitive)
Starting around 6 a.m., federal agents and local officers served arrest warrants and search warrants at 19 locations in the Indianapolis area, looking for alleged drug dealers after an investigation that authorities said was six months in the making. The U.S. Department of Justice said 31 individuals were arrested and are in custody but four remain as fugitives.
During the course of the investigation, authorities say approximately 30 firearms, $70,000 in U.S. currency and 22 pounds of methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl were seized.
According to the two indictments, Danielle Dowling and Christopher Tate led separate drug trafficking organizations that operated in Indianapolis and distributed large amounts of methamphetamine as well as heroin and fentanyl.
Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Gannon is assigned to the Indianapolis District Office for the DEA.
βFor all the drug traffickers out there, we're going to do what we always do. We're going to put our resources together and hold them accountable for peddling poison in our streets and preying on people that have substance abuse issues,β said Gannon.
Large scale raids by the feds are nothing new around Indianapolis. In 2017, a series of drug busts helped topple drug kingpin Richard Grundy III.
Just last year, 22 people were arrested as part of a drug trafficking ring in Haughville dubbed Operation Garage Band.
Yet all the cases have one thing in common.
βYou know drug traffickers are in business for one reason, to make money. They don't care whose family they ruin, and we're going to put them where they belong, in jail,β said Gannon.
Gannon claims numerous drugs, including meth, heroin and fentanyl, were targeted in this weekβs raids.
He added that the fight against narcotics doesn't stop because of the coronavirus outbreak.
βOur job is to go out and dismantle violent drug trafficking organizations, and together with our partners, we're going to always do that,β said Gannon.
In addition to the DEA, multiple agencies were involved this morning, including IMPD and United States Attorneyβs Office.
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