Muncie man gets 15 years for 'armed trafficking' of drugs

Douglas Walker, Muncie Star Press
·1 min read

MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for what authorities called "armed trafficking" of meth and fentanyl.

When agents with the Muncie-Delaware County Drug Task Force and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in January 2022 raided the East 14th Street home of Anson Jay O'Neal, they seized about two pounds of meth.

A Muncie-Delaware County Drug Task Force search warrant served on Jan. 31, 2022, at a home on East 14th Street resulted in seizure of more than 1.5 pounds of meth, 63.9 grams of fentanyl, six guns and drug paraphernalia.
A Muncie-Delaware County Drug Task Force search warrant served on Jan. 31, 2022, at a home on East 14th Street resulted in seizure of more than 1.5 pounds of meth, 63.9 grams of fentanyl, six guns and drug paraphernalia.

At the time of the arrest, Mike Nickens, a Muncie police sergeant, said the 890 grams of meth found in O'Neal's bedroom had an estimated street value of $26,700.

Also seized were 63.9 grams of fentanyl — with an estimated street value of $6,300 — along with six guns, drug paraphernalia including several sets of digital scales and more than $19,000 in cash.

On Tuesday in Indianapolis, U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Evans Barker imposed the 15-year sentence and ruled O'Neal would be on supervised release for five years after his release from prison.

The Muncie man, now 22, in March signed an agreement to plead guilty to two counts — possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

The deal called for two other charges to be dismissed.

“Dealers of deadly drugs, armed with deadly weapons, are a poison in our communities,” Zachary Myers, U.S. Attorney for Indiana's Southern District, said in a Wednesday release.

"Those who choose to endanger our families to further their own greed will be identified and prosecuted. With our federal, state, and local partners, we are committed to dismantling these operations and ensuring that dangerous criminals are taken off our streets and held accountable for their actions."

Douglas Walker is a news reporter for The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Muncie man gets 15 years for 'armed trafficking' of drugs