A federal grand jury has indicted 12 alleged members of a racketeering criminal enterprise that is accused of engaging in a wide range of crimes in Indianapolis, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a May 22 statement.
The defendants face Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges, which are applied when the parties are believed to be tied to organized crime. The 28-count indictment charges the defendants, linked to the Crown Hill Enterprise criminal organization, with murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, arson, illegal firearms crimes, and assault, the DOJ said.
Between 2019 and December 2024, the organization allegedly ran a drug distribution operation that sold a variety of illicit narcotics. The group hid the nature, source, and ownership of drug proceeds by creating fictitious businesses.
Crown Hill Enterprise allegedly sought to expand and protect its power, profits, and territory through violence. Two of the defendants—Tre J. Dunn, 28, and Tanesha M. Turner, 40—allegedly beat and shot people whom they believed had stolen drug proceeds, owed them a drug debt, or were linked to rival drug dealers.
Defendants are accused of interfering with investigations by retaliating against people whom they believed cooperated with the police and by intimidating potential witnesses, DOJ said.
“The superseding indictment in this case alleges, among other things, that these defendants shot and killed a man for slamming the door of a drug house, shot another man in the leg for a $40 drug debt, pistol-whipped at least two other people, and dealt all manner of drugs, including heroin, fentanyl, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine,” assistant attorney general A. Tysen Duva of the DOJ’s Criminal Division said.
“This type of alleged drug dealing and violence ruins communities, people, and their families. Drugs and gang violence are a scourge. These groups will be dismantled and prosecuted.”
The Epoch Times reached out to Dunn’s legal representative for comment but did not receive any response by publication time. The Epoch Times was unable to reach out to the legal representative of Turner.
In another case, five members of the street gang Alexander Park, which engaged in selling marijuana, recently pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute over 1,000 kilograms (approximately 2,204 pounds) of marijuana, the DOJ said.
The Trump administration and lawmakers have taken several actions to counter drug operations in the United States.
Drugs classified as such are subjected to the most punitive criminal penalties. The legislation mandates sending people convicted of distributing 100 grams or more of fentanyl-related or derived drugs to 10 years in prison.
“It’s a big deal,’ Trump said at the time. “We’ll be getting the drug dealers, pushers, and peddlers off our streets, and we will not rest until we have ended the drug overdose epidemic … we’re going to end it once and for all.”
In a May 22 X post, FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is dismantling violent gangs in the United States at a “historic rate.”
A video shared with the post stated that 1,800 localized street gangs were eliminated last year, 45,500 violent thugs have been arrested, violent crime arrests are up by 184 percent, and over 175 Safe Streets Task Forces are operating nationwide.
Last December, the bipartisan Counternarcotics Enhancement Act was signed into law, which seeks to enhance U.S.–Mexico efforts to tackle illicit drug operations, according to a Dec. 23 statement from Sen. Mark Kelly’s (D-Ariz.) office.
The Act requires entities from the intelligence community to develop a strategy to improve counternarcotics efforts and to review any direct relationships they have with elements from the Mexican administration.
“One innocent life lost because of illicit narcotics smuggled into the U.S. by way of Mexico is one too many,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said.
“This law will ensure our Intelligence Community leverages the U.S.-Mexico relationship to most effectively root out these silent killers and keep Americans safe.”
According to data from the United States Sentencing Commission, seven types of drugs accounted for 98 percent of drug trafficking offenses in fiscal year 2025.
Methamphetamine was the most trafficked drug in these offenses, accounting for 47 percent of the total cases, followed by fentanyl and analogues at 24 percent, and powder cocaine at 19 percent.