Battle Creek man indicted for allegedly possessing more than four kilograms of meth, machine guns
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BATTLE CREEK — A Battle Creek man has been indicted on several criminal charges after investigators allegedly seized more than four kilograms of methamphetamine and 10 firearms — two of which had been modified to meet the federal definition of “machine guns" — during a search of a Battle Creek residence in April.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten announced Wednesday that a federal grand jury in Grand Rapids returned a superseding indictment charging Travon Deshaun-Roderick Mansker, 26, with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of machine guns and felon in possession of firearms.
The charges stem from an April 27 search of a Battle Creek residence where investigators seized the drugs, firearms, approximately 1,000 rounds of ammunition, various high-capacity magazines, pill presses and other drug trafficking paraphernalia.
“Drugs and guns are a dangerous combination, and we are committed to getting illegal guns and drugs off of our streets,” Totten said in a release Wednesday. “The prevalence of machine gun conversion devices in the Western District is a particularly troubling trend that my office takes seriously.”
In the indictment, the grand jury alleges that on April 27, Mansker possessed methamphetamine that he intended to distribute to others. The superseding indictment also charges Mansker with possession of a machine gun for two firearms with different conversion devices installed and possession of a firearm by a felon for 10 firearms, including a firearm silencer, a “firearm” under federal law.
“This indictment should serve as a reminder that the DEA, and our law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue these individuals,” Orville O. Greene, special agent in charge of Detroit Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said in the release. “Our combined efforts are to not only stop the illegal distribution of dangerous illicit drugs, but also to prevent the associated violence that plagues our communities.”
Mansker will be arraigned on the superseding indictment before U.S. Magistrate Phillip J. Green of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. If convicted of the drug charge, Mansker faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison with a maximum penalty up to life.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Battle Creek Police Department, with additional support by the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Battle Creek man indicted for allegedly possessing meth, machine guns
