United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Alfred A. Cooke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Merrillville, Indiana, and Acting U.S. Attorney Tina L. Nommay for the Northern District of Indiana announced that Earl Mines, 37, of South Bend, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to distribution of fentanyl.

Mines was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release. 

According to documents in the case, in July 2024, Mines sold nearly 100 grams of a substance containing fentanyl. This occurred while Mines was on federal supervised release following his conviction for possessing with intent to distribute heroin, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and for possessing a stolen firearm. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the DEA, including the DEA North Central Laboratory, with assistance from the Indiana State Police. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Falvey.