Detric L. Cummings, 43, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, has been sentenced to 420 months in prison and three years of supervised release following his conviction on multiple drug and firearms charges. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady, according to an announcement from Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.
Cummings had previously pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl. After a four-day trial, a jury found him guilty of armed drug trafficking, possession of firearms, and maintaining premises for drug activity.
Court documents show that between July and August 2022, Cummings sold methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl to an undercover officer from the Fort Wayne Police Department. During one transaction, he was armed with at least one firearm; in another deal, he sold the undercover officer a revolver. Authorities later searched one of his drug houses and seized six firearms, ammunition, two digital scales, as well as more fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine.
Cummings’ criminal history includes violent offenses dating back to his youth. As a juvenile he attempted robbery and escaped detention; as an adult he was convicted for shooting a man. While incarcerated for that crime he committed two more battery offenses—one involving punching a correctional officer and breaking his nose and another for spitting on a correctional officer. Four months after being released from prison he shot a woman multiple times during an attempt to collect a drug debt. He also received additional time while imprisoned for possessing an eight-inch metal shank.
After his most recent release from prison Cummings resumed armed drug trafficking activities which led to his current conviction.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case with support from the Fort Wayne Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Indiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorneys Lesley J. Miller Lowery and Justin C. Sheridan prosecuted the case.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office statement: “This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.”
