For Conspiracy To Distribute Cocaine and Crack Cocaine And Possession Of A Firearm In Furtherance Of A Drug Trafficking Crime
HAMMOND -United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, Thomas L. Kirsch II, announced that Lloyd Bruce, 43, of Hammond, IN, was sentenced on December 7, 2017 by District Court Judge James T. Moody for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine along with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Bruce was sentenced to 168 months imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release.
According to Court filings, in April of 2015, Bruce was arrested and charged by the State of Indiana for possession with the intent to deliver cocaine and for carrying a firearm without a license. While on bond for his 2015 offense, Bruce purchased a building in East Chicago with the stated purpose of turning it into a “social club". In the fall of 2016, the DEA linked Bruce to a drug trafficking organization operating out of East Chicago and learned that Bruce was utilizing the “social club" to sell crack cocaine procured from another member of the drug trafficking organization. The DEA intercepted phone calls between Bruce and one of his co-conspirators where they utilized code language to discuss Bruce’s distribution of crack cocaine at the “social club." With the help of a confidential informant, the DEA also conducted two controlled buys of crack cocaine directly with Bruce at the “social club".
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration in cooperation with the East Chicago Police Department, Hammond Police Department and the Lake County Prosecutors Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas McGrath.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
