A Greenwood man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his involvement in a multi-state, multi-country drug dealing operation.
Dewayne Lewis, 46, was arrested during a drug raid in January 2015 at the Red Roof Inn in Greenwood, where officers found him with 20 kilograms of cocaine and $2 million in cash.
The case was prosecuted federally in the Fort Wayne Division of the Northern District of Indiana, and Lewis was sentenced Monday in Hammond to 30 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Lewis was distributing large amounts of cocaine and marijuana for a drug trafficking organization operating in northeast Indiana, which obtained its drug supply from a Mexican cartel, according to court documents.
The organization transported hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and marijuana from the border near McAllen, Texas, and offloaded the drug shipments at an Angola warehouse.
Lewis and others distributed the drugs in multi-kilogram amounts to a network of dealers in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, according to the news release.
After a series of drug raids in northeastern Indiana, northwestern Ohio and southern Texas in January 2015, Lewis assisted the organization’s leader in a temporary escape to Mexico. He then took over collecting substantial drug proceeds and coordinating ongoing distribution efforts.
Lewis obtained about 20 kilograms of cocaine and the $2 million in cash  on Feb. 1, 2015 from a hidden area at a stash location in Butler.
Police found Lewis at the motel in Greenwood on Feb. 3, 2015, and served a search warrant. Officers from multiple departments, including the Greenwood Police Department and Indiana State Police, searched the motel room as part of an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking.
Lewis’ fingerprints were recovered from some of the money packaging, and he confessed to his involvement.
