Peoria man sentenced to 10 years for meth possession with intent to distribute

PEORIA (25News Now) - A Peoria man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison, along with five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.

At the sentencing hearing for Keyshawn Q. Banks, 24, of the 1000 block of West Thrush Avenue, the government presented evidence establishing that Banks distributed ice methamphetamine in the Peoria area from at least March 2022 to July 2022, according to a Department of Justice release.

On July 13, officers intercepted Banks in his vehicle on his way to a drug sale. When several officers surrounded his vehicle, Banks tried to flee from the scene but struck a nearby house and was apprehended. Officers then found 118 grams of methamphetamine on the backseat of his car. The methamphetamine was 99% pure. Banks was held accountable for possessing and distributing 2.78 pounds of methamphetamine over the course of the four-month investigation.

He was indicted in August and pleaded guilty in September.

The statutory penalty for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute is a minimum of ten years to life imprisonment, a possible fine of up to $10 million dollars, and no less than 5 years to life of supervised release.