CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The United States Department of Justice says Michael Dwayne Banks and Victor Valente-Reynoso have each been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking and possessing firearms to further their trafficking operation.
Banks received a sentence of 13 years and eight months, while Valente-Reynoso was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months.
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Federal officials said the sentencing was part of a significant federal case where both defendants were charged with possessing drugs, including fentanyl and other controlled substances, with the intent to distribute.
“Fentanyl is one of the most lethal drugs our country has ever faced,” Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, said in a statement. “When traffickers choose to deal this poison while carrying firearms, they amplify the threat to our neighborhoods and to law enforcement. This federal sentence removes a dangerous individual from our streets.”
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According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On Aug. 23, 2022, Valente-Reynoso, an illegal migrant from Mexico, sold 536 fentanyl pills outside a gas station in Clayton County, Ga.
Following this deal, members of law enforcement said they stopped his attempt to sell 5,000 fentanyl pills at a church parking lot, during which they arrested Valente-Reynoso.
He was found with 4,000 fentanyl pills and 1,000 counterfeit Xanax pills, as well as Banks, who was armed with a loaded handgun.
A search of Banks’ home led investigators to more fake Xanax pills, blue fentanyl pills, oxycodone, cocaine and several large bags of marijuana. Agents also found another loaded handgun and three rifles, including a short-barreled machine gun.
Banks pleaded guilty on Oct. 9, 2025. In addition to his 13 years, eight month sentence, he will also serve four years of supervised release upon release from federal prison.
Valente-Reynoso pleaded guilty prior to his conviction on Jan. 31, 2023. His sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release.
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