INDIANAPOLIS – Following a federal trial, a jury convicted Demetrius Jackson, 26, of Indianapolis, of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in late January of 2021, federal agents learned that Jackson was trafficking in methamphetamine and was willing to sell a firearm to another drug dealer. Jackson has numerous prior felony convictions, including battery resulting in bodily injury, and is not legally able to possess a firearm. The jury returned its verdict late Tuesday.
Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and officers with the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force (ICGTF) executed a search warrant at Jacksons residence. Investigators seized a loaded handgun, a rifle, approximately eight pounds of marijuana, and more than $10,000 in U.S. currency. Further investigation into the matter by the ATF reveled that Jackson had been distributing methamphetamine to individuals in Indianapolis since at least October 2020.
Jackson will be sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton-Pratt at a later date and faces a mandatory 15 years up to life in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana and ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge for the Columbus Field Division, Timothy Canon, made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration also provided valuable assistance.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle P. Brady who prosecuted this case.
This case was brought as part of the Indiana Crime Guns Task Force (ICGTF). ICGTF is partnership of law enforcement officers and analysts from several central Indiana law enforcement agencies in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, Johnson, and Shelby counties. In cooperation with state, local, and federal partners, ICGTF collaborates to address violent crime through a comprehensive strategy including innovative approaches to locating suspects and evidence related to violent crimes and illegal possession of firearms.
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 make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.
