All 20 Members of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization Sentenced to a Total of More Than 265 Years in Federal Prison

INDIANAPOLIS –Richard A. Wells, a/k/a Council, 30, of Indianapolis, Indiana has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Wells was the final of 20 defendants to be sentenced in this conspiracy.

According to court documents, Wells was a member of a methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking organization that operated in the Indianapolis area from February 2019 through July 14, 2021. The organization was led by Jason Betts, a resident of Indianapolis, who coordinated the receipt of methamphetamine and fentanyl from Los Angeles, California and organized the distribution of the controlled substances in Indianapolis. Betts was previously sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment by Judge Hanlon following his guilty plea.

In February of 2023, Rick P. Coley, 36, of Indianapolis, and David K. Duggar, 40, of Greenwood, were convicted of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon following a two-week jury trial. Both Coley and Duggar served as upper-level drug distributors for Betts. Judge Hanlon sentenced Coley to 30 years’ imprisonment and Duggar to 23 years.

The investigation resulted in the indictment and conviction of twenty total defendants for their roles in the organization’s drug trafficking activity. The organization distributed approximately 350 pounds of methamphetamine and 15 kilograms of fentanyl during its operation.

Other sentences include the following:

“Drug trafficking organizations who push fentanyl and methamphetamine into our communities seek profits without regard for the deaths and lasting trauma they cause,” said United States Attorney for the Southern District for Indiana, Zachary A. Myers. “Dismantling these criminal networks through comprehensive investigations and prosecutions is a top priority for federal, state, and local law enforcement. The convictions and sentences imposed here demonstrate that trafficking in these very deadly drugs carries very serious consequences.”

“Due to extraordinary investigative work by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, a significant drug trafficking organization has been dismantled, and 20 of its members have been brought to justice,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “These criminals profited from peddling illegal drugs that destroy lives and families. The sentencing of the final defendant in this case closes the book on this criminal enterprise, preventing them from bringing further harm to the community.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case, with valuable assistance provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Indiana State Police, National Guard of the United States, and Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Bradley A. Blackington and Kelsey L. Massa, who prosecuted this case.

This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

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