James Robert Banks, Heroin Distribution, Virginia 2019

A Roanoke man is headed to federal prison for his role in distributing heroin in the city. James Robert Banks, 32, was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison following his conviction on federal drug distribution charges.

Banks pleaded guilty in June 2020 to one count of possession with the intent to distribute heroin. According to court documents, law enforcement agents arranged for the controlled purchase of approximately $6,000 worth of heroin from Banks on two occasions in 2019.

Investigation of the case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and member agencies of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, including the City of Roanoke Police Department, Virginia State Police, Roanoke County Police Department, and Salem Police Department. Additional support was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar said, “Heroin abuse continues to plague our communities in a cycle of painful abuse, and those that distribute it must face justice.”

Banks acknowledged distributing between one and three kilograms of heroin in the Roanoke area in 2019 as part of his guilty plea. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a centerpiece of the DoJ’s violent crime reduction efforts.

The investigation found that Banks sold the heroin from a commercial auto repair facility on Centre Avenue in Roanoke, owned by his father.

Banks’ sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar and Jesse Fong, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Washington Field Office.

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