Man Sentenced to more than 15 years in Federal Prison for trafficking dozens of kilograms of Fentanyl and Methamphetamine from Mexico into Indianapolis
41 year-old Tyler Sanders, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 183 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. According to court documents, in February of 2019, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents became aware of a large drug trafficking operation in Indianapolis that was responsible for transporting drug proceeds to Mexico. On April 5, 2019, HSI agents conducting surveillance of the residence saw Sanders load a Chevrolet Suburban with large, black, plastic trash bags. Sanders left the residence while driving the Suburban.
IMPD officers conducted a traffic stop of the Suburban for speeding along Massachusetts Avenue. Upon obtaining a positive K-9 alert on the vehicle, officers located the black plastic trash bags in the rear of the vehicle. Inside the plastic bags, officers located smaller, plastic bags containing a total of 33.51 kilograms of methamphetamine and 3.98 kilograms of plastic wrapped “bricks” that tested positive for fentanyl.
Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Indiana State Police, and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, James R. Sweeney II. Judge Sweeney also ordered that Sanders be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years following his release from federal prison and pay a $2,000 fine.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people. 6 out of 10 illegal fentanyl tablets sold on U.S. streets now contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug.
One Pill Can Kill: Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of death in the United States. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to make counterfeit prescription pills that appear to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies. For example, fake prescription pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy, but when sold on the street the pills routinely contain fentanyl. These pills are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they may be in different shapes and a rainbow of colors. They often have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they are routinely fake and poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late.
Indiana Arts Commission announce 2023 recipients of Indiana’s highest arts honor
The Indiana Arts Commission (IAC), in partnership with the Office of the Governor, announced the 2023 recipients of the Governor’s Arts Award. Originally presented in 1973, these awards recognize outstanding achievement and contributions to arts and creativity in Indiana. Presented biennially, the Governor’s Arts Awards are the highest honor the state gives in the arts and recognize those who maximize their roles as innovators, supporters, and advocates to grow arts and creativity on the state or national level. The 2023 recipients of the Governor’s Arts Awards are:
- Bryan “Breadwig” Ballinger (Huntington) is a muralist, toy designer, professor, and children’s book author and illustrator. His murals can be found in towns and cities across Indiana. Bryan has done illustration work for companies such as Nintendo, Disney and Scholastic and was the 3D Design Lead for 5 years at Big Idea Productions, the producers of the “VeggieTales” children’s videos. Bryan teaches digital media arts at Huntington University in Huntington and is currently a visiting artist for the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for the next year. He has three new picture books coming out in the next year, including “The Big Wig Parade” in October. Bryan also loves doing author visits to Indiana elementary schools. View more of Bryan’s work at his website.
- Christy Burgess (South Bend) is the co-founder and director of the Robinson Shakespeare Company (RSC), a program based out of the Robinson Community Learning Center in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 2008, the RSC has reached thousands of students and hundreds of teachers through drama classes, workshops, and Drama Integration outreach and Burgess has been called the “Cornerstone of Drama Integration” in Indiana. Burgess was selected as a North American Teaching Consultant for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2011 and won the Susan D. Wisely Youth Worker of the Year Award in 2016. She is currently the Education Co-chair for the Shakespeare Theatre Association. Burgess received her undergrad at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks and her M.A. in Theatre Education at the University of Warwick. Learn more about the RSC.
- D. Del Reverda-Jennings’ (Indianapolis), a self-taught Alaskan born, Indianapolis-based interdisciplinary artist, draws from a kaleidoscope of cultural nuance, insight, and experience as a creative. Del Reverda-Jennings’ award-winning 2 and 3-dimensional artworks feature personal symbolism and reflective imagery pervasive of African/Caribbean Latine/o/a diasporic culture, relative to her lineage and as a celebration of womankind. Her artworks have been exhibited and are held in private and corporate collections internationally. She is a noted cultural producer, independent curator, gallerist, the founder of the annual FLAVA FRESH ! Juried Exhibition Presentation Series Of Contemporary Fine Art in Indianapolis, and a journalist and author whose book “On Being A Visual Artist: Guidance To Thrive And Survive” will be reissued in 2024. Visit D. Del Reverda-Jennings’ website.
- Jim Smoak (Washington County) is a banjo player that has helped shape Bluegrass as a musical genre. Smoak belongs to a generation of banjo players who popularized three finger technique, a complex syncopated style that emerged from the western Carolinas and came to define the bluegrass sound for a national audience. Smoak’s career has followed a winding path beginning in his hometown of Round O, South Carolina, leading to Nashville and other centers of country music, and finally to Pekin, Indiana, where he settled in the mid 1970’s. His accomplishments include working with the father of Bluegrass music, Bill Monroe, recording for folklorist Harry Oster, and publishing one of the first instrumental books on three finger banjo method. He began writing songs in the 1970’s, and continues to teach banjo, guitar, and harmonica today. Learn more about Jim Smoak.
- Shaun Thomas Dingwerth (Richmond) has served as the Executive Director at the Richmond Art Museum, since 2004. Before becoming the Executive Director, he served as the Director of Operations for five years and is celebrating his 25th anniversary this September. He is a noted curator and art juror, creating and curating many important exhibits throughout his career. He is a recognized Indiana art historian and an author. The Richmond Art Museum was founded in 1898 as the Art Association of Richmond and continues as the second oldest art association in Indiana. The Richmond Art Museum’s purpose for 125 years has been to promote art, culture, and art appreciation. It carries out this mission by offering an array of exhibits and programs that appeal to all ages with Shaun Dingwerth at the helm. Learn more about the Richmond Art Museum.
Each of the five award winners will be profiled in a video later this year, and each will receive an artist-made award made by Emily Bennett, a fiber artist based in Terre Haute, Indiana. Visit Emily Bennett’s website.
This Week in Hoosier History
1889 – Zerna Sharp was born near Hillisburg in Clinton County. She became a schoolteacher and advisor to a publishing company where she helped create the Dick and Jane series of schoolbooks. The books were used around the world and taught millions of children how to read.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson