Date: June 29, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Eleven defendants have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to federal crimes for their involvement in drug trafficking activities in the Indianapolis area. Beginning in the fall of 2019, federal agents began investigating several individuals for their suspected drug trafficking activities in the Indianapolis area. As the investigation progressed, investigators discovered that methamphetamine was being transported from Muncie, Indiana to Vans Auto Repair in Indianapolis to be distributed. At the conclusion of the investigation, eleven defendants were charged in three different indictments for various drug trafficking charges. On August 3, 2020, sixteen search warrants and federal arrest warrants were executed by federal agents and officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in the Indianapolis area. As a result of those search warrants, 31 illegally possessed firearms, 4½ pounds of methamphetamine; ½ kilogram of cocaine; 1 kilogram of fentanyl, and approximately $272,000 in cash drug trafficking proceeds were seized and taken off city streets. Each of the defendants pleaded guilty, and were sentenced, as follows: Defendant Sentence Charge(s) Travis Beechler, Indianapolis, IN 30 years in federal prison 5 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine & Heroin; Possession of a Firearm by Felon & During a Drug Trafficking Crime Antonio Turner, Indianapolis, IN 15 years in federal prison 5 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine & Fentanyl Stephen Cole, Indianapolis IN Over 24 years in federal prison 5 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine & Fentanyl; Money Laundering Christopher Shelton, Indianapolis, IN Over 21 years in federal prison 5 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine Scott Nelson, Indianapolis, IN 10 years in federal prison 5 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine Joshua Douglas, Indianapolis, IN 16 years in federal prison 10 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine Marguerite Collins, Indianapolis, IN Over 4 years in federal prison 3 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine Jarrad Cooney, Indianapolis, IN Over 4 years in federal prison 3 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine Jason Corey, Indianapolis, IN 6 years in federal prison 4 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine Halton Butler, Indianapolis, IN Over 2 years in federal prison 2 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine Gary Hatcher Jr., Indianapolis, IN Over 20 years in federal prison 5 years supervised release Distribution of Methamphetamine "Traffickers of methamphetamine and fentanyl further the devastating cycle of substance abuse disorder to satisfy their own greed," said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers. "These prosecutions and sentences demonstrate that we will work tirelessly with our federal and local law enforcement partners to hold the traffickers of these dangerous and deadly drugs accountable for the pain they inflict on our communities." "The laundering of illegal drug profits is as important and essential to drug traffickers as the very distribution of their illegal drugs. Without these ill-gotten gains, the traffickers could not finance their organizations," said Justin Campbell, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation. "Today's sentencing shows that we are committed, now more than ever, to take the profit away from drug traffickers, to stop the flow of drugs into communities, and to put traffickers and money launderers in prison." IRS Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. The DEA, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service provided invaluable assistance. U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle P. Brady who prosecuted the case. These prosecutions are the result 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.
