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Press Release
22 Sentenced to Federal Prison for Meth and Cocaine Trafficking Operation from Southwest Border to Indianapolis
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS- The following 22 individuals have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in an extensive methamphetamine and money laundering conspiracy responsible for trafficking hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine. The 23rd defendant, Edeer Avila, remains a fugitive.
| Defendant | Charge(s) | Sentence |
Edeer Avila, 34 Mexico | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | FUGITIVE |
| Martin Felix-Garcia, 36 Phoenix, AZ | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | 25 years’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
| Isaias Gonzalez-Torres, 34 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | 24 years, 4 months’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
| Erlin Lucero-Asencio, 33 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments Possession with intent to distribute controlled substances Illegal Alien Found in the United States | 27 years’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
Abel Ayala-Garcia, 34 Columbus, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | 24.5 years’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
Juliann Magallanez, 36 Terre Haute, IN | Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine Unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime | 15 years’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
John Whiffing, 50 Terre Haute, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine | 14 years’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
Victor Vazquez-Hernandez, 42 Seymour, IN | Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine | 10 years, 7 months’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
Eduardo Rodriguez, 29 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | 14 years, 8 months’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
| Andrew Calix-Maldonado, 30 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | 11 years, 3 months’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release |
Julio Vicente-Guox, 36 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine | 11 years, 3 months’ imprisonment 2 years of supervised release |
| Luis Daniel Hernandez, 27 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | 9 years’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release |
Jendry Medina, 23 Indianapolis, IN
| Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | 9 years, 2 months of imprisonment 3 years of supervised release |
Abner Rodas-Abelardez, 39 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine | 5 years, 10 months’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
Kenia Acosta, 41 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine | 9 years’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release |
Jeami Waleska Sevilla Luna, 30 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine | 8 years, 10 months’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release |
Dillon Smith, 34 Terre Haute, IN | Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine | 17 years, 6 months’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
Allison Perdue, 27 Seymour, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine | 9 years’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release |
Eulalia Murillo-Resura, 34 Indianapolis, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine | 7 years, 3 months’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release |
Nathan Lee, 31 Columbus, IN | Distribution of methamphetamine | 10 years’ imprisonment 5 years of supervised release |
Emilio Landa-Lagunes, 27 Seymour, IN | Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine | 6 years’ imprisonment 3 years of supervised release |
Claudio Garcia-Morales, 38 Columbus, IN | Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine | 3 years, 10 months’ imprisonment 2 years of supervised release |
Candy Medina-Corcoles, 27 California | Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments | 4 years, 8 months’ imprisonment 2 years of supervised release |
According to court documents, Isaias Gonzalez-Torres was the primary Indianapolis ringleader of a drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl into Indianapolis and surrounding areas, including Seymour, Columbus, and Terre Haute. The investigation resulted in the seizure of 82 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,750 fentanyl pills, a kilogram of cocaine, and nine firearms. The conspiracy would operate as follows:
Isaias Gonzalez-Torres and Erlin Lucero-Asencio worked in unison to coordinate large shipments of methamphetamine and other illegal narcotics from Edeer Avila in Mexico, Martin Felix-Garcia in Arizona, and others. The Indianapolis-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) utilized an elaborate system of drug couriers and clandestine mail parcels to transport the methamphetamine and other drugs across the country for redistribution in rural communities throughout the Southern District of Indiana. Once the shipments of methamphetamine arrived in Indianapolis, the DTO utilized multiple stash houses to break down and store the drugs for further distribution.
The DTO employed multiple drug couriers, including Luis Daniel Hernandez, Andrew Calix-Maldonado, Julio Vicente-Guox, and Eduardo Rodriguez, to deliver the methamphetamine to local distributors in Seymour, Columbus, and Terre Haute. These local distributors then broke down the narcotics for further redistribution in their respective communities.
Additionally, between October 2021 and March 2022 the defendants and other conspirators engaged in money laundering by depositing approximately $3,586,092 in United States currency into Candy Medina-Corcoles’ Bank of America account. Deposits occurred in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. From there, a conspirator would remove the funds from the account and transfer those drug proceeds to bank accounts based in Mexico.
Between January 2020 and April 2022, the defendants also engaged in money laundering by sending at least 324 wire transfers totaling $291,116.08 from Indiana to Phoenix, Arizona and Mexico utilizing nominees to conceal their involvement in the wire transfers.
“This case exemplifies the mission of Operation Take Back America- to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the devastating effects of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cartel-driven crime,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Thanks to the dedication of our law enforcement partners and AUSA, we have severed a key pipeline of deadly drugs and illicit funds flowing into Indiana.”
“This case was a success thanks to the partnership between the Department of Justice, the DEA, and local law enforcement Task Force Officers,” said Greg O’Brien, Chief of the Seymour Police Department. “Without these TFOs, small rural towns wouldn’t have the resources to carry out operations like this. We value and appreciate our ongoing collaboration with the Department of Justice.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Seymour Police Department, and Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Gibson, who prosecuted this case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Indiana Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
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Updated July 23, 2025
Topics
Operation Take Back America
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Drug Trafficking