INDIANAPOLIS – The United States Department of Justice Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana, has sentenced 22 individuals to federal prison for their roles in an extensive methamphetamine and money laundering conspiracy responsible for trafficking hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine between January 2020 and April 2022. A 23rd defendant, Edeer Avila, remains a fugitive.
Of the 22 sentenced, 20 were from Indiana, including several residents from Columbus and Seymour. Two out-of-state individuals were sent to prison, one from Arizona and one from California.
According to court documents, the primary Indianapolis ringleader of a drug trafficking organization was responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl into Indianapolis and surrounding areas, including Seymour, Columbus, and Terre Haute. The investigation resulted in the seizure of 82 pounds of meth, 1,750 fentanyl pills, a kilogram of cocaine, and nine firearms.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Seymour Police Department, and Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by Chief U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.
Here are the local felons and their prison sentences:
- Abel Ayala-Garcia, 34, Columbus, IN, Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, Conspiracy to launder monetary instruments – 24.5 years + 5 years of supervised release
- Allison Perdue, 27, Seymour, IN, Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth – 9 years + 3 years of supervised release
- Nathan Lee, 31, Columbus, IN, Distribution of methamphetamine – 10 years + 5 years of supervised release
- Emilio Landa-Lagunes, 27, Seymour, IN, Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth – 6 years + 3 years of supervised release
- Claudio Garcia-Morales, 38, Columbus, IN, Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth – 3 years/10 months + 2 years of supervised release
- Victor Vazquez-Hernandez, 42, Seymour, IN, Possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of meth – 10 years/7 months + 5 years of supervised release