Edwin Lewis, a 43-year-old resident of Park Forest, Illinois, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation. U.S. District Judge William M. Conley delivered the sentence, which will be followed by five years of supervised release. Lewis had pleaded guilty on December 12, 2024, to charges of conspiring to possess and distribute cocaine and methamphetamine.
The investigation into the drug trafficking organization began in February 2022 when Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force officers started looking into activities in Marathon County, Wisconsin. The operation led to the seizure of drug-laden packages from the mail and controlled purchases of narcotics. Investigators believe that the organization distributed kilogram quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine.
Lewis was identified as a major supplier for this organization. In 2021 and 2022, he shipped bulk amounts of methamphetamine to Wisconsin locations, including two shipments each containing 11 pounds of methamphetamine. On April 29, 2022, Lewis was arrested with seven pounds of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Chicago.
At sentencing, Judge Conley remarked on Lewis's significant role within the trafficking operation and noted that Lewis had previously served time for cocaine trafficking but continued his illegal activities upon release.
Several others were charged alongside Lewis in connection with this case:
- Teala L. Kumbera received a sentence of 54 months.
- Shandel L. Mohr was sentenced to just over one year.
- Quo Vadis Lewis received a sentence of twelve and a half years.
- Shelby Gutch entered into a diversion agreement after pleading guilty.
- Troy C. Olsen received a sentence of forty-five months.
- Craig C. Gates was sentenced to nearly nine years.
- Tommie Haney received fourteen years.
- Samuel A. Teague is awaiting sentencing.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force and other state and local law enforcement bodies such as the Wisconsin State Patrol and Marathon County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through coordinated efforts among various law enforcement agencies.