Virginia man sentenced to 12 years in prison for meth distribution

A Roanoke man, who trafficked more than four pounds of methamphetamine, was sentenced last week to 12 years in federal prison.

Anthony Banks, 32, pled guilty in February to three counts of distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, in 2021, Banks sold approximately four pounds of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in four transactions over the course of five weeks. That methamphetamine was later determined to be more than 96 percent pure.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the City of Roanoke Police Department, the Roanoke County Police Department, the Salem Police Department, and the Virginia State Police investigated the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

In the Western District of Virginia, PSN resources are focused on neighborhoods in Roanoke, Danville, Lynchburg and the Charlottesville/Albemarle County/University of Virginia region.