A 45-year-old Fishers man and three co-conspirators have been sentenced in federal court for operating a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation in central Indiana, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
Eric Kendrick of Fishers received a sentence of 11 years and eight months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Also sentenced were Kristopher Chavez, 38, of Gary, Indiana, to eight years and 11 months; Delray Bragg, 42, of Richmond, Indiana, to five years and 11 months; and Joaquin Ramirez-Molina, 41, of Phoenix, Arizona, to four years and nine months.
Federal prosecutors said the group was responsible for distributing at least 55 kilograms of cocaine between 2019 and 2023.
According to court documents, Kendrick leased commercial property at 5641 Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis in 2019 and used the location as a stash house to store and distribute cocaine.
On May 31, 2023, authorities said Ramirez-Molina arrived at the location carrying two suitcases filled with cocaine. Around the same time, Chavez arrived with contraband in his vehicle. The pair retrieved equipment used to repackage drugs, including a vacuum sealer, heat-seal bags and duct tape, along with a duffel bag containing $200,000 in cash.
Bragg later arrived to pick up 10 kilograms of cocaine for redistribution. As he left the property, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers conducted a traffic stop. Authorities said Bragg alerted others in the operation by text message, prompting them to flee.
Search warrants executed at the stash house and related locations resulted in the seizure of more than $580,000 in cash, 55 kilograms of cocaine, multiple firearms and several vehicles.
“Shipments containing multiple kilograms of cocaine, delivered in suitcases, underscores the profound danger these drugs pose,” U.S. Attorney Tom Wheeler said in a statement. “Our federal prosecutors remain steadfast in partnering with the DEA, ATF and local drug task forces to remove dealers from our streets.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Hamilton/Boone Drug Task Force.