United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CHICAGO – Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Bell, Drug Enforcement Administration, Chicago Division, announced that Michael O’Bannon, 36, and Shaun Myers, 38, both of Kokomo, Indiana, were recently sentenced for their roles in a large drug trafficking ring that operated in Kokomo, Indiana.  O’Bannon and Myers were sentenced to 450 months and 300 months incarceration, respectively.  Both sentences will be served in US Bureau of Prisons Federal Correctional Institutions.

From the fall of 2017 to May 1, 2018, the DEA Indianapolis District Office, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, and the Kokomo Police Department conducted an extensive federal wiretap investigation that resulted in the federal indictment of 15 Kokomo, Indiana, residents to include O’Bannon and Myers.

The investigation revealed that Reggie Balentine, who was recently sentenced to 504 months, was coordinating drug shipments from his supplier, Pierre Riley, in Atlanta, Georgia, for further distribution in the Kokomo area by Bannon, Myers, and others.  The investigation also uncovered O’Bannon’s role in a murder for hire scheme involving a Kokomo resident.  In July 2018, one of the hitmen, Sirajuddin Qadir, was found guilty of Attempted Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Murder in Howard County, Indiana, and has been sentenced to 35 years incarceration.

During the investigation, agents seized approximately 17 pounds of methamphetamine, two pounds of cocaine, 122 grams of fentanyl, two ounces of heroin and 24 firearms.

In November 2019, O’Bannon and Myers were found guilty after a three-week jury trial. O’Bannon was found guilty of several federal offenses:  Possession with to Intent to Distribute between 5 and 50 grams of Methamphetamine, Conspiracy to Use Interstate Commerce in the Commission of Murder-for-Hire, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

Myers was also found guilty of several federal offenses:  Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Controlled Substances and Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances.  The second offense relates to Myers sending his girlfriend, Kashey Hamilton, to Atlanta to act as a courier for the organization.  Hamilton was arrested on her way back to Indiana in possession of three pounds of methamphetamine and has been sentenced to 25 years incarceration in Cobb County, Georgia.

DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Michael Gannon remarked, “The lengthy prison sentences for Mr. O’Bannon and Mr. Myers are big wins for the fine citizens of Kokomo.  Mr. O’Bannon and Mr. Myers were responsible, along with others, for operating a violent, large-scale drug distribution organization for years in the city of Kokomo.  Fortunately, this investigation interrupted a murder-for-hire plot that would have otherwise been successful.  The DEA and its local, state, and federal partners are committed to holding accountable the most violent individuals who wreak havoc in our communities.

“The Kokomo Police Department appreciates the hard work of our partners at the DEA and United States Attorney’s Office,” said Kokomo Police Department Captain Tonda Cockrell.  “The dismantling of the Drug Trafficking Organization of Reggie Balentine, Michael Jones, and Pierre Riley has had a significant effect on the Kokomo community.  The sentences handed down by the federal courts have sent a clear message as to the impact of this criminal activity.”