More than a dozen people are facing federal charges for a conspiracy to traffic “semi-truckload quantities of marijuana and THC-containing products” and to “launder the bulk cash proceeds from selling the drugs.”

On Friday, May 20, 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana announced that a federal grand jury had indicted fifteen people on drug trafficking and money laundering charges.

Alleged leader of the conspiracy Adewale Adediran has also been charged with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise.

The indictment follows a week-long multi-agency effort involving state and local law enforcement partners in Indiana, California, Kentucky, and Florida to arrest the defendants and seize the drugs and drug proceeds.

“Over the past seven days, authorities have arrested ten of the defendants, executed search warrants at twenty-three different locations in three states, and executed seizure warrants on over a dozen bank accounts and a trove of high-end jewelry. Five defendants remain at large,” authorities said in a news release.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office describes the drug trafficking scheme:

According to the indictment, from 2016 until this year, Adediran and the drug trafficking organization he led used commercial-level logistics and warehousing to distribute large quantities of marijuana throughout the United States and collect millions of dollars in cash proceeds. The indictment alleges that the organization utilized commercial trucking and airplanes to facilitate the shipment of tractor-trailer loads of marijuana to warehouses and other commercial locations in various states, including Indiana. The indictment further alleges that the organization used semi-trucks and an airplane to transport large quantities of cash back to Adediran and his co-conspirators in California, and later, used cashier’s checks and bank accounts to launder the proceeds. Adediran was arrested in California and was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s Service pending trial.

Authorities say that they have seized $40 million worth of drugs, alleged drug proceeds, and assets purchased with drug proceeds. This includes over three tons of marijuana and THC-containing products, valued at over $10 million, along with over a dozen firearms. Additionally,  authorities have seized or restrained cash and bank accounts totaling over $8 million; a private jet valued at $900,000; numerous luxury automobiles, including two Rolls-Royces, two Bentleys, a Ford GT, and a Lamborghini, valued at $2 million; high-end jewelry valued at over $8 million; numerous pieces of artwork and collectible items valued at $850,000; and nine pieces of real estate with a total value of $10 million.

If convicted on the conspiracy with intent to distribute marijuana charges, each defendant faces between ten years to life imprisonment, no less than five years supervised release, and a $10,000,000 fine. If convicted on the continuing criminal enterprise charge, Adediran faces a mandatory twenty years up to lifetime imprisonment, no more than five years supervised release, and a $2,000,000 fine. If convicted on the money laundering charge, each defendant faces up to twenty years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine. 

Agencies assisting in the investigation include the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Brownsburg Police Department, the Clarksville Police Department, the Southern Indiana Drug Task Force (Jeffersonville Police Dept, New Albany Police Dept, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, and Floyd County Sheriff’s Office), and the Hamilton/Boone County Drug Task Force.

The following defendants were charged in the indictment: