SOUTH BEND –Yesterday, Justin Ring, 37 years old, of Hobart, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Damon R. Leichty after pleading guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, and a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine, and possessing a firearm as convicted felon, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Ring was sentenced to 168 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, in the fall of 2024, law enforcement identified Ring as a methamphetamine distributor operating in the Michigan City area. On three occasions between October 2024 and December 2024, Ring sold high purity methamphetamine to another person. In January of 2025, Ring was driving his car, and law enforcement performed a traffic stop on him. Ring had 439 grams of methamphetamine, 4 grams of cocaine, and 15 grams of fentanyl inside of the car with him, which he intended to distribute to another person. Ring also had a 9-millimeter pistol hidden in a compartment area behind the radio. On the same day of the traffic stop, law enforcement searched the hotel room where Ring was residing at the time. Officers found additional methamphetamine, another 9-millimenter firearm, and plastic bags and a digital scale used for packaging and weighing drugs. Ring has prior felony convictions for dealing a counterfeit substance and possession of paraphernalia, either of which prohibited him from possessing a firearm.
“Justin Ring’s business plan was simple—he sold high-test poisons to users who needed a fix and had the means to buy it,” said U.S. Attorney Mildred. “As he well knew, there is money to be made on other people’s addictions. But he should have remembered that, in northern Indiana, anyone who deals in the narcotics that feed those addictions will face a swift and devastating justice. He will now have plenty of time to commit the lesson to memory while residing in the Bureau of Prisons. My thanks go out to the DEA, ATF, La Porte County Drug Task Force, Michigan City Police Department, and La Porte County Prosecuting Attorney Sean Fagan’s team at the La Porte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for the work they contributed to achieving this conviction and sentence.”
“The primary role of law enforcement is to serve and protect the community. Through the arrest and successful prosecution of Mr. Ring, northern Indiana is most certainly a safer and better community for everyone. In the world of drug law enforcement, little is worse than a violent drug trafficker, which is a perfect description of Mr. Ring. Not only did Mr. Ring deal a plethora of drugs, all leading to addiction and death, but he did so while possessing a firearm. He was a danger and a nuisance to Hoosiers, but he is no longer. The Drug Enforcement Administration, in collaboration with its law enforcement partners, will forever identify, investigate, and stop those who choose to destroy our communities through their evil actions,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chip Cooke.
“The combination of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and engaging in drug trafficking presents a grave threat to public safety. ATF and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in combining our resources towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting armed drug traffickers,” said ATF Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Christopher Amon.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with assistance from the DEA North Central Laboratory, La Porte County Drug Task Force, Michigan City Police Department, and the La Porte County Prosecutor’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lydia T. Lucius.
