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Date: 11-25-2020
Case Style:
Case Number: 3:18-cr-00083-BAJ-EWD
Judge: Brian A. Jackson
Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana (East Baton Rouge Parish)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Defendant's Attorney:
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Description: Baton Rouge, Louisiana drug trafficking conspiracy criminal defense lawyer represented Shanard Zelron Banks, age 32, who was charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, unlawful use of a communication facility, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.
Banks was charged along with twenty other individuals in connection with an extensive federal, state, and local investigation by the Middle District Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) aimed at a drug trafficking organization – FreeBandz – based and operating in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As a result of this investigation, 19 defendants have been convicted, 10 have been sentenced and one is scheduled for jury trial in February of 2021.
According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, Banks controlled the organization’s illegal pill-pressing operation whereby he and his co-conspirators used pill press machines, punches, dies, and pill pressing chemicals to illegally manufacture tens of thousands of counterfeit controlled substance pills. The counterfeit pills were tainted with undisclosed amounts of heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl analogues, clonazolam, and other controlled substances that Banks’ co-conspirator obtained from sources located in Houston, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. These pills were then imprinted with various marks, including several for controlled substance pharmaceuticals. Thereafter, Banks and his co-conspirators distributed the counterfeit pills to others for further distribution in Baton Rouge, Mississippi, the New Orleans metropolitan area, and elsewhere. The drug trafficking operation formed in or before 2016 and continued until it was disrupted by law enforcement intervention in 2018.
During their investigation, law enforcement agents recovered a .380 caliber Taurus revolver, a .556 caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic rifle, and five semi-automatic pistols of varying calibers from a number of residences and commercial premises that were used to store drugs and drug proceeds, and to conduct drug transactions. These firearms were possessed by Banks and a co-conspirator with the purpose of advancing Banks’ drug trafficking operation.
U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “This defendant is one of the key leaders of a drug trafficking organization responsible for trafficking large amounts of counterfeit pills laced with heroin and other illegal drugs throughout our district. This sentencing has significantly advanced efforts to restore law and order in the community. The combined federal, state, and local efforts that culminated in this conviction once again reflect our unified front against crime in this district. I appreciate the tremendous dedication and hard work by the agents and prosecutors who worked tirelessly on this important matter.”
DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael R. Sader said, “Illegal dangerous drugs, including methamphetamine, destroy lives and have far-reaching negative effects in communities where they take hold. By targeting local distribution networks in the Baton Rouge area and beyond, DEA and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners are working to reduce overall crime and improve the quality of life for area residents. The numerous arrests and seizures in this investigation are the result of our close cooperation and part of our ongoing efforts to ensure that drug traffickers are held responsible for the harm they cause. This lengthy sentence sends a message of our unending resolve to pursue drug traffickers who wreak havoc in our communities.”
This investigation is another effort by the OCDETF Program, which was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General’s drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, money laundering organizations, and related criminal enterprises. The OCDETF Program operates nationwide and combines the resources and unique expertise of numerous federal, state, and local agencies in a coordinated attack against major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.
This OCDETF operation is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana; the Baton Rouge District Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration; and the Baton Rouge Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosives. This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kleinpeter, who also serves as a deputy criminal chief.
CONSPIRACY TO DISTRIBUTE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE and 18 USC 2
(1)
CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - SELL, DISTRIBUTE, OR DISPENSE
(29)
VIOLENT CRIME/DRUGS/MACHINE GUN
(30)
USE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DISTR.
(38)
USE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DISTR.
(46)
USE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DISTR.
(50-52)
USE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DISTR.
(55)
USE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DISTR.
(57)
USE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DISTR.
(58-61)
USE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DISTR.
(62)
USE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY - CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE - DISTR.
(64)
ENGAGING IN MONETARY TRANSACTIONS
(67)
Outcome: JUDGMENT as to Shanard Zelron Banks (2), Count(s) 1, 29, 30, 38, 46, 50-52, 55, 57, 58-61, 62, 64, 67, Imprisonment for 181 months. This sentence is comprised of 121 months on Counts 1 and 29, to run concurrently; 48 months on Counts 38, 46, 50-52, 55, 57-62, and 64, to run concurrently; 120 months on Count 67, to run concurrently; and 60 months on Count 30, to run consecutively.It is further ordered that the defendant''s sentence shall run consecutively to any sentence imposed in docket number 03-09-0109 of the 19th JDC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Supervised Release for 5 years. This term is comprised of five years on Counts 1, 29, and 30; one year on Counts 38, 46, 50-52, 55, 57-62, and 64; and three years on Count 67, all to run concurrently. Assessment in the amount of $1,700.00. Signed by Judge Brian A. Jackson on 11/17/2020. (EDC) (Entered: 11/18/2020)
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