Roanoke Man Sentenced to 12 Years For Meth Distribution

ROANOKE, Va. – A Roanoke man, who trafficked more than four pounds of methamphetamine, was sentenced last week to 12 years in federal prison as part of United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh’s ongoing Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative. In the Western District of Virginia, PSN resources are focused on neighborhoods in Roanoke, Danville, Lynchburg, and the Charlottesville/Albemarle County/University of Virginia region.

Anthony Banks, 32, pled guilty in February 2023 to three counts of distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, in 2021, Banks sold approximately four pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in four transactions over the course of five weeks. That methamphetamine was later determined to be more than 96% pure.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh and Stanley M. Meador, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division, made the announcement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the City of Roanoke Police Department, the Roanoke County Police Department, the Salem Police Department, and the Virginia State Police investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin B. Johnson prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.