A convicted killer who had been released to state supervision is returning to jail for a lengthy sentence after federal authorities say they apprehended him in a south Minneapolis drug operation with two loaded weapons and distribution-level quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine. When officers arrived, they were on the lookout for narcotics sales along Park Avenue and East Lake Street. Court records show that the defendant, 39-year-old James Andre Banks, pled guilty earlier this year.
Banks was sentenced to ten years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota. Prosecutors said police from the Minneapolis and Metro Transit Police Departments, working with federal partners during a Focused Enforcement Detail, surrounded Banks and discovered narcotics and evidence associated with drug distribution. According to federal officials, the firearms seized included a Taurus G2C with an extended 18-round magazine and a Glock Model 17 with an extended 24-round magazine, both loaded.
Rosen stated that his office will continue to prioritize prosecutions of violent offenders who illegally possess firearms and traffic in hazardous substances, according to the same release. Minneapolis Police Chief Bill Peterson stated that removing “dangerous offenders involved in drug trafficking and illegal firearm offenses” makes communities safer. ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Spence Burnett stated that Banks “had every opportunity to walk away from that life and made the opposite choice at every turn.” According to the news release, the investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Metro Transit Police Department.
According to GovInfo, authorities secured a search warrant after a confidential informant reported seeing a man with a semi-automatic weapon and drugs near Lake Street and Park Avenue. Surveillance crews later discovered Banks on June 10, 2023. Officers said he fled on foot, dumped one firearm, and was apprehended. Searches of his person and vehicle revealed a second pistol and drugs. These state-level accusations, as well as the evidence gathered at the time, were later used to support federal drug trafficking and guns convictions.
Banks was forbidden from owning weapons due to previous state convictions for second-degree intentional murder and assault with a deadly weapon. According to Minnesota Department of Corrections records, Banks was placed under supervision on May 23, 2022, after serving prior sentences, which prosecutors referenced in their decision to pursue federal charges.
On January 21, 2026, Banks pleaded guilty to one count of possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine and cocaine mixture, and the indictment included claims related to his previous violent offenses, according to GovInfo. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David B. Green and Mary S. Riverso, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension provided forensic assistance in the investigation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim presided over the sentencing.
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