South Bend Man Sentenced to 128 Months in Prison

SOUTH BEND – James Dockins, 37 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.

Dockins was sentenced to 128 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release.

According to documents in the case, in February 2024, Dockins received a package that contained over 400 grams of fentanyl pills. He stored the fentanyl pills in his home in a cabinet alongside other fentanyl pills that were packaged and ready for distribution. When Dockins left his home, law enforcement attempted to stop him, but he fled in his car through a residential neighborhood and surrendered after he had crashed his car into a fire hydrant.

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service including the USPIS Forensic Laboratory, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, the Mishawaka Police Department, the St. Joseph County Police Department, and the Indiana State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lydia T. Lucius.