Federal prosecutors have sent a LaPorte man to prison for more than eight years, calling him a repeat felon who mixed meth dealing with illegal gun possession.
Edwardo Trevino, 43, of LaPorte, Indiana, was sentenced in mid‑March to 100 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Prosecutors say the punishment stems from separate incidents in which Trevino sold methamphetamine and, during a traffic stop, officers later found meth, packaging materials and a loaded handgun tucked in a backpack inside a vehicle.
According to the DEA, a federal jury in the Northern District of Indiana convicted Trevino of distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The agency said the sentence includes three years of supervised release and credited coordination between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Indiana and local partners for bringing the case.
What Officers Say They Found
As reported by FOX 32 Chicago, officers who stopped a car found a backpack on the front passenger floorboard that held methamphetamine, clear plastic baggies commonly used for packaging, a wallet containing Trevino’s ID and a loaded pistol. Prosecutors used that discovery at trial to argue Trevino unlawfully possessed the firearm because of a prior felony conviction. The outlet notes that jurors returned guilty verdicts on the drug and firearm counts after hearing the evidence.
U.S. Attorney Adam L. Mildred praised the multi‑agency work and said the sentence removes a repeat felon who posed a serious drug and public‑safety threat, according to the DEA. DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chip Cooke added, “There is no room in northern Indiana for the cruelty and evilness of drug traffickers.” Prosecutors have pointed to those comments as reflecting their view that the case was about both trafficking and illegal gun possession.
Legal Implications
At the federal level, a conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm is charged under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1), which bars convicted felons from having guns, according to Cornell Law School. Prosecutors also noted Trevino has a prior residential‑entry felony conviction, which they say made the gun charge applicable in this case, as reported by FOX 32 Chicago. Federal sentences in drug and gun cases vary under the guidelines, but judges often hand down longer terms when firearms and distribution charges show up together in the same case file.
Where This Fits
The Trevino sentence arrives amid a string of federal prosecutions targeting meth distribution across Indiana, where authorities have leaned on multiagency investigations and secured lengthy terms for major dealers. Hoodline recently highlighted several of those big federal cases, including one in which prosecutors, in their words, dropped a 33‑year hammer on an Indy drug kingpin. Public‑health and law‑enforcement officials say a mix of enforcement and treatment strategies is needed to blunt the harm meth is causing in affected communities.
Local reporting notes that the Trevino investigation drew assistance from the LaPorte County Drug Task Force, the Michigan City Police Department and the Indiana State Police laboratory division, according to WIMS Radio. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has characterized the outcome as a collaborative success for federal and local partners and said monitoring will continue during Trevino’s three‑year supervised‑release period.
