GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that an indictment was returned charging nine Michigan residents, including one from Lansing, with trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and suboxone between November 2018 and June 2020.
The alleged conspiracy involved current and former inmates of the Michigan Department of Corrections procuring controlled substances from Mexico and distributing them in Alger, Luce, Allegan, Berrien, Branch, Grand Traverse, Ingham, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, and Van Buren Counties. The charges carry varying maximum penalties, including up to life in prison for some of the defendants.
The charges are the result of a combined federal, state, and local investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Michigan Department of Corrections, the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office, and the Michigan State Police and its sponsored drug trafficking task forces: the West Michigan Enforcement Team, the Southwest Enforcement Team, and the Traverse Narcotics Team.
The charges in the superseding indictment are merely accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
