Brandon Lemar Baines, 36, of Kalamazoo, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine. The sentencing was announced by Timothy VerHey, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan.
According to court records, on January 23, 2025, the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team (KVET) stopped a van returning from Detroit to Kalamazoo and found over 12 pounds of methamphetamine on the front passenger seat floorboard. Baines was driving the van at the time. Co-defendant Kerriem Ishmael Steveson, Jr., 30, also from Kalamazoo, was sitting in the passenger seat. Stevenson was previously sentenced on December 8, 2025, to more than 15 years in prison for his role in the conspiracy.
Investigators had monitored Baines’ and Stevenson’s drug trafficking activities for several months before the traffic stop. On the same day as the stop, law enforcement executed warrants at two residences linked to the defendants and seized over 200 grams of fentanyl, a firearm, and other items related to drug trafficking.
At the time of his arrest, Baines was on parole with the Michigan Department of Corrections after serving a previous sentence for methamphetamine trafficking and a firearm offense. He had been released less than a year before being caught with large quantities of drugs.
A third individual in the van during the stop was Johnnie Montico McAllister, 30. McAllister possessed a loaded Glock 9mm pistol despite being a felon and on parole after serving seven years for armed robbery. He was convicted as a felon in possession of a firearm and sentenced to nearly three years in prison.
“Armed drug traffickers are destroying our communities,” said U.S. Attorney VerHey. “My office will focus its resources on combatting those who threaten public safety by flooding our streets with guns and drugs.” He added: “Those who have not learned their lessons from the state criminal justice system will face significant consequences in federal court as we continue to work closely with our exceptional state and local partners including KVET.”
Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon stated: “The DEA, alongside our law enforcement partners, will be unwavering and relentless in our mission to dismantle the violent drug trafficking organizations that are poisoning our communities and threatening the safety of the American people. We will pursue them wherever they operate and bring every available resource to bear until these networks are dismantled.”
Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Assistant Chief David Juday commented: “The distribution of drugs continues to devastate our community by fueling addiction, crime, and long-term harm to families and neighborhoods. This investigation and conviction is just one example of how the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety continues to prioritize our community’s safety. I am thankful for the continued collaboration between our department and our federal law enforcement partners, who work to disrupt trafficking networks, protect residents, and stop the spread of this dangerous substance.”
The case was investigated by both KVET and DEA agents. Assistant United States Attorney Vito S. Solitro prosecuted it.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration-related crime as well as eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts involving Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
