Final Defendant in Anderson and Indianapolis Drug Trafficking Conspiracy, “Operation Glass Box,” Found Guilty on All Counts

Indianapolis- A federal jury has found Charles House, 40, of Anderson, Indiana, guilty on all twelve counts, including attempting to traffic methamphetamine, trafficking in over 100 kilograms of marijuana, and illegally possessing twelve firearms.

According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, in October 2018, the Madison County Drug Task Force initiated an investigation into Charles House’s drug trafficking organization. House traveled to California to purchase narcotics and then mailed the narcotics to multiple addresses in Anderson, Indiana. The drugs were then redistributed by co-conspirators Sean Brown and Marcus Hayes-Patterson in Anderson. Tommy Compton was House’s Indianapolis source of supply for marijuana. Defendants facilitated their drug trafficking activities through the use of cellular phones and often used code words to try to conceal their illegal activities.   

“Armed traffickers of deadly drugs are a menace to our communities and fuel our crisis of substance use disorders,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Anderson and Indianapolis residents are safer today because this drug trafficking organization has been dismantled and its participants are off our streets. I commend our federal and local law enforcement partners for their efforts to hold these drug dealers accountable and get their drugs and guns out of our neighborhoods.”

“Any time large amounts of illegal drugs can be removed from the streets in order to keep our communities safe, it is a win,” said FB Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “This clearly demonstrates that through agencies working together to target those engaged in drug trafficking, criminal organizations such as this can be identified and shut down.”

“Local law enforcement has had many interactions with Charles House stemming back several years,” said Chief Michael Lee of the Anderson Police Department. “We appreciate and value our relationship with the FBI, which has allowed us to remove Charles House and his criminal associates from our Anderson and Madison County communities.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Anderson Police Department, Madison County Drug Task Force, and Muncie Police Department.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Lindsay Karwoski and Barry D. Glickman, who prosecuted this case.

U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker presided over the trial. House faces up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has yet to be determined. A federal district court judge will determine the actual sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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.

Previous press release here.