Evergreen Reporter

Abubakr Banire, 27, of Washington D.C., has been sentenced to over nine years in prison for leading a sophisticated drug trafficking operation known as the "LA Dank DMV Crew." The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and FBI Special Agent Sean Ryan.

Banire, also known as "Swave," pleaded guilty in September 2023 to charges including conspiracy to distribute marijuana and unlawful possession of firearms. He will serve an additional three years of supervised release following his prison term.

The crew distributed high-grade marijuana from California to the metropolitan area using websites and social media platforms like Instagram for marketing. They operated out of rental properties, which were used as temporary stash houses or points of sale.

Authorities discovered numerous firearms among the crew's possessions, including machine guns and conversion devices that modify semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic ones. In total, they recovered approximately 122 pounds of marijuana, 19 firearms, and 10 conversion devices.

The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies including the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department, and Anne Arundel County Police Department.

Other members of the LA Dank DMV Crew received varying sentences for their roles in the operation. Christopher Akinduro was sentenced to 74 months in prison; Isaac Akinduro received a 41-month sentence; Kavon Duncan was sentenced to 71 months; Avery Bost received a 37-month sentence; Joe Blyther was sentenced to 120 months; Randall Lance received a 63-month sentence; and Omar Butler was sentenced to 18 months.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Justin F. Song and Meredith E. Mayer-Dempsey along with Thomas Strong from the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section.