Forty Charged with Drug Trafficking

FORT WAYNE, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office today announced that six Indictments charging several conspiracies to distribute cocaine and other drug trafficking charges were filed in federal court. The United States Attorney’s Office also announced that 14 criminal complaints charging use of a communication facility to commit or facilitate the commission of a drug trafficking crime and some firearms offenses were filed in federal court. These complaints charged offenses occurring between February 2010 to the present.

In February of 2010, the FBI received information that lead to controlled purchases of crack cocaine and powder cocaine, which then led to a court-authorized wiretap of the telephone used by Jarvis Buchanan, an alleged drug supplier, in October of 2010. The investigation subsequently progressed through court-authorized interceptions over telephones utilized by the supply networks of two separate drug organizations.

On April 12 and April 13, 2011, law enforcement officers executed a total of 24 search warrants and arrested a total of 36 individuals on federal drug and gun charges. These charges were filed as a result of the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Fort Wayne Safe Streets Task Force (FWSSTF), which is comprised of FBI special agents and officers from the Indiana State Police, the Allen County Police Department, and the Fort Wayne Police Department. A number of law enforcement agencies also assisted with this investigation, including the Fort Wayne Police Department’s Vice and Narcotics Division and Gang Unit; the Allen County Drug Task Force; the United States Marshals Service; the New Haven Police Department; the Orange County, California, Regional Narcotics Suppression Program; the San Bernardino County, California, Sheriff’s Department; and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department Drug Interdiction Unit.

These cases have been assigned to and will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Anthony W. Geller, Lesley Miller Lowery, Tina L. Nommay, Robert N. Trgovich, and Lovita Morris King.

The specific sentence to be imposed upon conviction in each case will be determined by the judge after a consideration of federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

The United States Attorney’s Office emphasized that indictments and complaints are merely allegations and that all persons charged are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

INDICTMENT 1

Jarvis T. Buchanan, 31, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in six counts of an eight-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about February 10, 2010, and continuing until on or about January 29, 2011, maintaining a drug-involved premises between on or about February 10, 2010, and on or about November 9, 2010, and distribution of controlled substances on or about August 5, August 19, September 6 and October 12, 2010.

Jermorris T. Sewell, 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in two counts of an eight-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about February 10, 2010, and continuing until on or about January 29, 2011, maintaining a drug-involved premises between on or about February 10, 2010, and on or about November 9, 2010.

Antonio T. Sewell, 29, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in two counts of an eight-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about February 10, 2010, and continuing until on or about January 29, 2011, maintaining a drug-involved premises between on or about February 10, 2010, and on or about November 9, 2010.

Damon A. Porter, 31, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in two counts of an eight-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about February 10, 2010, and continuing until on or about January 29, 2011, and profiting from maintaining a drug-involved premises between on or about October 15, 2010, and on or about November 26, 2010.

Jose A. Soto, 28, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in one count of an eight-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about February 10, 2010.

Willie James Brooks, 47, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in one count of an eight-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about February 10, 2010.

Brenna Underwood, 25, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in two counts of an eight-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about February 10, 2010, and continuing until on or about January 29, 2011, and profiting from maintaining a drug involved premises between on or about April 7, 2010, and on or about January 29, 2011.

INDICTMENT 2

• Silvestre Castaneda, 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana;
• Pedro Castaneda Jr., 37, of Fort Wayne, Indiana;
• Osiris Espinoza, 30, of Fort Wayne, Indiana;
• Maritza Castaneda, 29, of Colton, California;
• Alejandro Montoya, 43, of Colton, California;
• Florencio DeLuna, 29, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; and
• James Thomas, 63, of Dayton, Ohio

are charged in a single-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about November 8, 2010, and ongoing at the time the Indictment was filed.

INDICTMENT 3

• Charley J. Gonzalez, III, 39, of Fort Wayne, Indiana;
• Billy J. Gonzalez, 33, of Fort Wayne, Indiana;
• Alejandro V. Luna, 27, of Fort Wayne, Indiana;
• Augustine L. Luna, 32, of Fort Wayne, Indiana;
• Joseph Luna, 34, of Fort Wayne, Indiana;
• Narciso G. Soto, III, 29, of Fort Wayne, Indiana; and
• Antonio Angel Ray Flores, 23, of Fort Wayne, Indiana

are charged in a single-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about January 12, 2011, and ongoing at the time this Indictment was filed.

INDICTMENT 4

Justin E. Dominguez, 28, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in a five-count indictment with using a communications facility to distribute controlled substances on January 13, January 17, January 19, January 26, and February 3, 2011.

INDICTMENT 5

Yohansen Fincher, 24, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in a five-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about January 15, 2011, through on or about February 10, 2011; possession with intent to distribute controlled substances on or about January 28, 2011; manufacturing a controlled substance from on or about February 1, 2011, through on or about February 5, 2011; and using a communications facility to distribute controlled substances on or about January 27, 2011, and January 28, 2011 and from on or about February 1, 2011, and through on or about February 5, 2011.

INDICTMENT 6

Caleb B. Hurst, 24, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is charged in a four-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances from on or about January 20, 2011, through on or about February 10, 2011; and using a communications facility to distribute controlled substances on or about January 24, 2011, January 29, 2011, and February 5, 2011.

Named in the Criminal Complaints were:

• Miguel Zavala, 38, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Joshua Stephens, 34, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Trent Moore, 41, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Cedrick Griffin, 30, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Scott Hedges, 32, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Christopher Salas, 36, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Ormey Douglas, 35, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Albert Smith, 39 of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Edgar White, 33, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Charley Gonzalez, IV, 22, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Darrell Williams, 49, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Benjamin Fisher, 33, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Booker T. Sewell, 31, of Fort Wayne, Indiana
• Robert Littlejohn, 23, of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Search warrants were served at 25 locations. They are:

• 326 Arcadia Court, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 6317 Easthills Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 6511 Donna Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 4881 Coventry Parkway, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 3620 Eastrowe Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 4840 Lillie Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 4333 Dicke Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 6715 South Bend Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 5403 Glenridge Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 3510 Elmcrest Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 278 Hamilton Meadows, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 5707 Mason Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 1719 Poinsette Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 1021 Wingate Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 3315 Oliver Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 1832 Richardson Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 4039 Hedwig Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• United Parcel Service (UPS) package
• 133 W. Lexington Avenue, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 520 Corwin Lane, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 3225 Vantage View Drive, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 4815 S. Calhoun Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 6018 Sawmill Woods Court, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 9936 Northbrook Valley Drive, Apartment 8, Fort Wayne, Indiana
• 10007 Northbrook Valley Drive, Apartment 8, Fort Wayne, Indiana.