Southern Indiana Meth Ring Dismantled
Trio Sentenced to a Combined 31 Years in Federal Prison
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Indianapolis, and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers of the Southern District of Indiana announced that Michael Bravo, 27, of Conroe, Texas, and George Hartley, 66, of Evansville, have each been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Patricia Latouche, 44, of Evansville, was sentenced to 140 months in federal prison after each of the defendants pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Each of the defendants will also serve five years of supervised release following their release from prison.
According to court documents, between June and November of 2020, the group worked together to distribute over 30 pounds of methamphetamine into the Evansville area. Bravo trafficked methamphetamine from Texas to his Evansville-based co-conspirators. After obtaining the methamphetamine from Bravo, Hartley and another individual, who is now deceased, further distributed it to mid-level dealers within the drug trafficking organization, including Patricia Latouche.
“Methamphetamine and other deadly controlled substances have devastating impacts on users, their loved ones, and our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Myers. “Drug traffickers like these defendants, responsible for pushing this poison from across the country into our neighborhoods must be held accountable for the suffering they cause in search of quick profits. This operation is an outstanding example of the impact we can have with the help of our state and local law enforcement partners. I commend the efforts of the DEA and Evansville Police Department to make our communities safer by getting meth and meth dealers off our streets.”
The DEA and Evansville Police Department investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Wheatley prosecuted this case.
