Prosecutors indicted 19 people in connection with a drug bust involving fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Federal agents executed 15 search warrants on Wednesday throughout Indianapolis, leading to the arrests of 17 of the defendants, who face charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Two of the defendants, who were indicted as part of “Operation Curtain Call,” were at large following the initial arrests, but one has since been arrested, according to acting U.S. Attorney John Childress.
Authorities seized 1.75 kilograms, or nearly 4 pounds, of fentanyl, 14 pounds of methamphetamine, 6 ounces of cocaine, and 30 pounds of marijuana in their operation, the DOJ said. They also took possession of 35 firearms and $70,000 in currency.
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Defendant Jason Betts, 26, allegedly oversaw the drug-trafficking operation, according to court documents, while 30-year-old Montez Wells and 28-year-old Richard Wells were responsible for distributing large amounts of the methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The three took possession of the drugs from a source and shared them among themselves and with other dealers, going on to distribute them across Indiana, the indictment alleged. Betts received 100-pound shipments of methamphetamine at a time, it said.
“We are safer today than we were yesterday,” Childress said at a press conference on Thursday. “Today, there is less methamphetamine available to lengthen life-shattering addictions. Today there is less cocaine and marijuana to fuel an ongoing violent drug trade.”
“The important thing about operations like this, it serves as an example of how seriously we take this kind of conduct and it tells those out there that might be waiting in the wings to come in that we’re not going to tolerate it in Indianapolis and this is what you’ve got to look forward to if that’s what you choose to do,” said Craig McCartt, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s deputy chief of criminal investigations.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan, who also spoke at the press conference, said investigators suspect the defendants are responsible for a number of homicides in the city, although the indictment does not bring any murder charges.
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Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation, including the FBI, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Indiana State Police, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service also assisted in the investigation.
Defendants facing conspiracy charges could serve between 10 years to life in prison if convicted.
