INDIANAPOLIS (April 9, 2014) – Eleven people face federal charges in connection with a drug trafficking operation in Indianapolis.
U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett made the announcement Wednesday in conjunction with Indiana State Police, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
The federal indictments are part of a lengthy investigation into cocaine distribution called “Operation Family Ties.” The drug trafficking ring operated in Indianapolis’ Butler-Tarkington area, investigators said.
Eleven people were named as defendants:
- Benigno Reyes-Contrerra (aka Jose Reyes), 27
- Edgar Dominguez-Castillo, 25
- Gerardo Baltierra, 29
- Fellipe Maguellal, 22
- Wade Havvard, 36
- Antjuan Dyson, 36
- Larry Eugene Coe, 39
- Tuwanna Harney, 37
- Timika Highbaugh, 39
- Waimond Jackson, 53
- Earnest McCain, 55
The 11 defendants are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. The federal indictment means they face mandatory minimum sentences and higher maximum prison sentences than they would have faced under state charges.
The investigation began in March 2010 after IMPD detectives learned of a cocaine trafficking operation in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood. The operation had been running for more than two years.
Federal prosecutors said Wade Havvard, Larry Coe and Marvin Golden—a man who had previously been indicted federally—moved a significant amount of cocaine through the neighborhood. According to the indictment, the men exchanged hundreds of phone calls and text messages consistent with drug trafficking. Investigators said the men stashed cocaine in houses around the Butler-Tarkington area and sold it to mid-level dealers who would then distribute it on the northwest side.
In January, police arrested more than 40 people and confiscated more than six kilograms of cocaine. Authorities also seized marijuana, nine guns, six vehicles and $198,000 in cash.
If convicted, some of the defendants face a minimum penalty of 10 years to life, federal prosecutors said. Others face 20 years to life and three face mandatory life sentences without the possibility of parole.
