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Press Release

Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Methamphetamine from California in his Airport Baggage

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

INDIANAPOLIS- Tyler Earl Ja Waun Cabell, 25, of Indianapolis, Indiana was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

According to court documents, on June 5, 2021, state and federal law enforcement officers were conducting narcotics searches at the Indianapolis International Airport, when they recovered Tyler Cabell’s baggage. Officers searched a multi-colored bag with Cabell’s name on the tag and found seven grams of marijuana. Cabell’s second bag, a blue roller, contained four vacuum sealed plastic bags containing approximately 8 pounds of pure methamphetamine, and ten vacuum sealed bags containing nearly 11 pounds of marijuana. The plastic bags were concealed inside of towels and clothes.

During an interview with law enforcement officers, Cabell admitted that he met someone in California who offered him $7,000 to transport the bag of methamphetamine and marijuana to Indianapolis. Cabell claimed he did not know how he would get paid or for whom he was transporting the drugs.

“This defendant transported methamphetamine into our community with no regard for the people and families harmed by this dangerous drug,” said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Drug traffickers like this defendant further the scourge of substance abuse disorder and must be held accountable. I commend the work of HSI, ISP, and the Plainfield Police Department in intercepting these illicit drugs and getting this defendant off our streets.”

“This sentence is a great example of what can be accomplished when federal, state and local law enforcement agencies work in collaboration to stop the trafficking of narcotics,” said R. Sean Fitzgerald, special agent in charge for HSI Chicago. “We will continue our efforts to arrest individuals like Cabell to keep our communities safe from the harmful effects of illicit drugs.”

“We value our partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and are proud of the work they are doing to protect our communities from these dangerous drugs,” said Kyle Prewitt, Chief of Police for the Plainfield Police Department.

Homeland Security Investigations investigated this case. Valuable assistance was provided by Indiana State Police and the Plainfield Police Department. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker. Judge Barker also ordered that Cabell be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison, and pay a $1,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney William L. McCoskey, who prosecuted this case.

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Updated March 8, 2023

Topics
Opioids
Drug Trafficking