Cortlend Banks faces 10 years in prison when he is sentenced later this month on charges of the possession of cocaine, trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and possession of a fentanyl-related compound.
J Swygart | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima man faces 10 or more years behind bars after pleading guilty Friday to felony drug charges.
Cortlend Banks, 31, was scheduled to stand trial starting Monday on a host of drug-related counts handed down in October 2023 by an Allen County grand jury. Instead, he entered into an 11th-hour deal with prosecutors that saw eight of 11 charges against him dismissed.
As part of the agreement, which included a joint recommendation for a prison sentence of 10 to 12 1/2 years, Banks pleaded guilty to the possession of cocaine, a first-degree felony with specifications for the use of a firearm and included the forfeiture of a Walther PK .380 caliber handgun and $2,375 in alleged drug profits.
Banks also pleaded guilty to a pair of third-degree felony charges of trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and possession of a fentanyl-related compound. In exchange for that plea, prosecutors dismissed charges of trafficking in cocaine, trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound, possession of heroin, cocaine and a fentanyl-related compound and the improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle.
The incidents for which Banks was charged all were alleged to have taken place in March 2022. Motions filed by the Allen County Public Defenders Office, which initially represented Banks, sought to suppress at trial some evidence obtained by the state during a March 30, 2022, search of property located at 1423 W. Spring St., Lima.
The defense team also objected to the use by investigators of a GPS tracking device that was placed on a 2017 Chevrolet Impala used by Banks. The motions claimed both scenarios were unconstitutional, were in violation of the defendant’s right to privacy and lacked probable cause.
Cleveland defense attorney Allison Hibbard took over Bank’s case in June and subsequently filed a notice of withdrawal for the motions to suppress. Hibbard had also previously filed a motion seeking the state to reveal the identity of informants, confidential or otherwise, used during the investigation.
Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser set sentencing for Banks for Sept. 25. His bond was continued until that time.
