Drug Sales Investigation In Gary Leads To Multiple Felony Charges
A 33-year-old Gary man, Waylon Keith Smith, is facing multiple felony charges after a drug sales investigation in October and November 2025 in Gary, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Lake County.
According to court documents, investigators conducted an investigation in late October in the 3300 block of Pierce Street in Gary. During this investigation, a male entered a vehicle, engaged in an interaction, and later left. Investigators recovered 3.8 grams of a rock-like substance that field-tested positive for cocaine and 4.9 grams of multicolored pills that field-tested positive for MDMA.
Additional investigative activity occurred in early November in the same area. After another interaction, investigators recovered 4.6 grams of rock-like substance that field-tested positive for cocaine and an additional 4.9 grams of multicolored pills that tested positive for MDMA.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for a residence connected to the investigation. The warrant was executed on November 25, 2025. Officers announced their presence and ordered occupants to stop. According to the affidavit, one of the windows was broken out, and Smith was arrested after fleeing on foot from the residence immediately after police announced themselves.
In the direct path where he fled, investigators located a white tank top, blue disposable gloves, and several individually packaged bags containing white rock-like substance. Inside the residence, officers reported recovering:
• Approximately 2.8 pounds of green leafy substance that field-tested positive for marijuana
• 178 grams of cocaine inside the residence
• 47.5 grams of individually packaged cocaine outside along the flight path
• THC vape cartridges and marijuana edibles
• A digital scale with white residue
• A baggie of multicolored pills weighing 10.1 grams that field-tested positive for MDMA
• A 12-gauge shotgun
• A 9mm handgun
• $1,473 in U.S. currency
• Packaging materials consistent with individually packaged narcotics
• A social security card bearing Smith’s name inside a bedroom.
Lodged in the Lake County Jail.
Charges filed November 26,2025:
• Dealing in Cocaine — Level 2 Felony
• Dealing in a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Possession With Intent) — Level 2 Felony
• Dealing in a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Possession With Intent) — Level 3 Felony
• Dealing in Cocaine (Between 1 and 5 Grams) — Level 4 Felony
• Dealing in Cocaine (Between 1 and 5 Grams) — Level 4 Felony
• Dealing in a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Between 1 and 5 Grams) — Level 5 Felony
• Dealing in a Schedule I Controlled Substance (Between 1 and 5 Grams) — Level 5 Felony
• Dealing in Marijuana (Between 30 Grams and 10 Pounds) — Level 6 Felony
• Maintaining a Common Nuisance — Level 6 Felony
• Resisting Law Enforcement — Misdemeanor A
