John Byers

A Bowling Green man recently arrested on federal drug charges is being described by authorities as the leader of a large drug trafficking organization that sold methamphetamine and cocaine throughout southern Indiana.

John Byers, 48, was arrested Wednesday on Highland Way on a warrant charging him with conspiring to distribute meth and cocaine.

The Bowling Green Police Department Critical Response Team and Crisis Navigation Team helped the Federal Drug Administration in serving the warrant.

Byers was one of 12 people indicted on conspiracy charges by a federal grand jury meeting in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Indiana.

Ten of the people charged live in Evansville, while another is a resident of Plano, Texas.

Byers is accused of supplying co-defendants with meth and cocaine and coordinating with others to ship large quantities of meth into the Evansville area.

“To date in this investigation, authorities have seized approximately 35 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 45 grams of cocaine and four firearms,” a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana said.

The indictment, which was filed June 24, details how Byers and others allegedly carried out the conspiracy.

Byers is accused of obtaining the illegal drugs from an unknown source.

Along with supplying alleged mid-level members of the drug trafficking organization, Byers coordinated with others to ship multiple-pound amounts of meth into the Evansville area.

“Throughout the conspiracy, several members of the conspiracy distributed the methamphetamine on a ‘front,’ wherein they provided quantities of methamphetamine on consignment to other methamphetamine distributors, receiving payment for the consignment of methamphetamine after its sale by the other distributors,” the indictment said.

The defendants are accused of using coded language over the phone, text messages and social media apps to discuss drug trafficking and of maintaining “sizable amounts of cash” for buying drugs or paying for drugs that had been fronted to them.

Byers is named in the indictment in several alleged acts of the conspiracy beginning in January and continuing until the date of his arrest.

The indictment claims Byers distributed about a pound of meth to a person in Evansville on March 29, was admonished during a May 16 phone call to protect a large sum of cash that he intended to transport to Chicago to pay for meth, distributed another two pounds of meth in Evansville on June 2 to a person who was later arrested, and met with that person on June 12 at an Evansville gas station regarding payment for the previously fronted two pounds of meth.

The alleged conspiracy to sell cocaine occurred during the same window of time in a similar manner.

Byers is accused of communicating with co-defendants through phone calls and text messages about money owed to him from prior drug transactions, fronting cocaine to mid-level distributors and coordinating meetings to provide cocaine to Evansville-based dealers.

– Follow courts reporter Justin Story on Twitter @jstorydailynews or visit bgdailynews.com.