Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)
WASHINGTON – Isaac Akinduro, 27, of Washington D.C, was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for his role in a sophisticated conspiracy that was responsible for bringing hundreds of pounds of marijuana from California to the metropolitan area, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division.
Isaac Akinduro, a member of the “LA Dank DMV Crew” who was also known as “Benji” or “Black,” pleaded guilty on October 11, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Akinduro to serve three years of supervised release.
All LA Dank crew members have pleaded guilty to marijuana conspiracy and related firearms charges.
- Abubakr Banire, aka “Swave,” is set to be sentenced on June 24, 2024, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, unlawful possession of a machine gun, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and using, carrying, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
- Kavon Duncan, aka “Babyk,” was sentenced to 71 months on February 6, 2024, for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.
- Joe Blyther, aka “Hawk,” is scheduled for sentencing on April 22, 2024. He pleaded guilty on November 9, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, using, carrying, and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, unlawful possession of a machine gun, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.
- Christopher Akinduro, aka “Oshay,” was sentenced to 74 months in prison on January 17, 2024, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.
- Avery Bost, aka “Avenue,” “Ave,” and “Left,” is scheduled to be sentenced March 22, 2024. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana.
- Omar Butler, aka “O,” was sentenced on March 1, 2024, to 18 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana.
- Randall Lance, aka “Mike Lambo,” was sentenced October 10, 2023, to 63 months for conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana.
These sentences and guilty pleas follow a lengthy investigation led by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Between May of 2021 to on or about December of 2021, crew members operated a sophisticated conspiracy to traffic large amounts of high-grade marijuana from California to the DMV area for distribution to customers. As part of their distribution scheme, members of the crew relied heavily on mass marketing through three dedicated LA Dank websites, as well as social media platforms like Instagram where individual crew members would advertise the LA Dank brand and LA Dank branded marijuana for sale. Crew members also used rental properties to set up stash houses or points of sale that were used to conduct drug distribution operations for a short period of time before moving on to different locations.
The crew was found to possess numerous firearms, including semi-automatic and fully automatic machineguns, and devices used to convert semi-automatic firearms into fully automatic machineguns. In total, approximately 122 pounds of marijuana, 19 firearms, and 10 machinegun conversion devices were recovered. Three of these 19 firearms were discovered to be operational machineguns that had been modified with machinegun conversion devices. Seven of these machinegun conversion devices were found in an “LA Dank” branded bag. Two of these firearms were privately made AR-pistol style machineguns, sometimes referred to as “ghost guns.”
Ledgers and receipts show that the crew trafficked well over 100 kilograms of marijuana into the DMV area for distribution.
Isaac Akinduro, who has four previous gun and firearms convictions, was arrested on August 12, 2022, in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross-Border Task Force in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, Anne Arundel County Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin F. Song, Meredith E. Mayer-Dempsey, and Thomas Strong.
