Minneapolis gang leader sentenced to 15 years in prison
A mugshot when Louis Banks was booked at Anoka County Jail in Dec. 2014.
(KMSP) - A 26-year-old Minneapolis-based gang leader was sentenced to 15 years in prison for distributing crack cocaine and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
A U.S. District Judge sentenced Louis Lee Frasier Banks on Tuesday. Banks pleaded guilty on October 13, 2015 to the counts. Five other defendants in the case were also sentenced. One man is still awaiting sentencing.
According to court documents and his guilty plea, Banks, also known as "G.I.," and the other defendants were a part of two gangs: the Taliban and Young N' Thugging (YNT). The two gangs are closely associated to each other and operate in north Minneapolis. Among the defendents, Banks had the most seniority and had the most influence in the gangs.
The two gangs were created to sell illegal drugs. Gang members often traveled to sell crack in St. Cloud, Duluth and Fargo, North Dakota.