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Press Release

Eighteen Individuals Charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine in Central and Southern Indiana

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS – Eighteen individuals were indicted by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. The indictment charges the defendants with conspiracies to distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine, and to launder the proceeds of the distributed controlled substances. The indictment was unsealed today following the initial appearances of the defendants.

Yesterday, fifteen defendants were taken into federal custody in Indianapolis, Columbus, Seymour, Terre Haute, and Detroit, Michigan. Three other defendants are still at large. In addition, three individuals were detained for immigration violations.

To date in this investigation, authorities have seized approximately 82 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 1750 fentanyl pills, approximately 35 grams of fentanyl, approximately 1 kilogram of cocaine, approximately 4 pounds of marijuana, and a large quantity of suspected THC gummies. In addition to drug seizures, authorities have seized approximately $9000.00 in U.S. currency as suspected drug proceeds as well as 9 firearms.

The Jackson County Prosecutors Office has also filed state charges against five additional defendants for dealing methamphetamine, and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor has charged one additional defendant on a state charge for dealing methamphetamine.

The following individuals are in federal custody or *at large:

Defendant

Charge(s)

Edeer Avila, 38, Mexico *NOT in custody

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine & Launder Monetary Instruments

Martin Felix-Garcia, 33, Phoenix, AZ      *NOT in custody

Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments     

Isaias Gonzalez-Torres, 30, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine & Launder Monetary Instruments

Erlin Lucero-Asencio, 29, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine & Launder Monetary Instruments

Abel Ayala-Garcia, 31, Columbus, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine & Launder Monetary Instruments

Luis Daniel Hernandez, 24, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine & Launder Monetary Instruments

Andrew Calix-Maldonado, 27, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine & Launder Monetary Instruments

Julio Vicente-Guox, 33, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

Eduardo Rodriguez, 25, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine & Launder Monetary Instruments

Kenia Acosta, 38, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine  

Jeami Waleska Sevilla-Luna, 27, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

Victor Vazquez-Hernandez, 41, Seymour

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine  

Allison Perdue, 24, Seymour

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

John Whiffing, 47, Terre Haute

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

Abner Rodas-Abelardez, 36, Indianapolis  *NOT in custody

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

Claudio Garcia-Morales, 35, Columbus, IN

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

Eulailo Murillo-Resura, 31, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

Jendry Medina, 20, Indianapolis

Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments

If convicted on the conspiracy with intent to distribute controlled substances charges, each faces between ten years to life imprisonment, no less than five years supervised release, and a $10,000,000 fine. If convicted on the money laundering charge, each faces a mandatory minimum of up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine. Actual sentences are determined by a federal district court judge and are typically less than the maximum penalties.

The following five Individuals face state prosecution in Jackson County:

Defendant

Charge(s)

Emilio Landa-Laganes

Dealing methamphetamine F2

Mariah Crowe

Dealing methamphetamine F2

Daniel Parrish

Dealing methamphetamine F2

Samantha Farris

Dealing methamphetamine F2

Zachariah Farris

Dealing methamphetamine F2

The following individual faces state prosecution in Bartholomew County:

Defendant

Charge(s)

Antonio Cuautle-Cuenca 

Dealing methamphetamine F2

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Indianapolis Field Office, and Bryant Lucas, Chief of the Seymour Police Department made the announcement.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Seymour Police Department investigated the case in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Homeland Security Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Jackson County Prosecutors Office, the Columbus Police Department, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office, the Bartholomew County Prosecutors Office, the Indiana State Police, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Brownsburg Police Department, and the Bloomington Police Department.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle P. Brady and Patrick G. Gibson, who are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (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.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Updated May 2, 2022

Topics
Drug Trafficking
Opioids
Immigration