The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office recently announced sentencing outcomes in two separate drug and firearm cases involving convicted felons.
Damion Banks, 30, was sentenced to 79 years in prison with parole eligibility after 25 years, following a jury conviction on 10 felony charges. These included high-level drug trafficking and possession of firearms by a prohibited person.
Banks was arrested on August 27, 2024, after Reno Police responded to reports that he was selling drugs from a vehicle on Lake Street. Officers found Banks attempting to hide a bag of heroin in his pants. A Smith & Wesson handgun was nearby, with methamphetamine and fentanyl visible at the scene.
Further search revealed nearly two pounds of methamphetamine, over 100 grams of fentanyl, heroin laced with fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, and a modified Glock handgun capable of fully automatic fire. Due to prior felony convictions in California for drug sales and assault likely to cause great bodily injury, Banks was legally barred from possessing firearms.
In March, a jury convicted Banks of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl, multiple possession-for-sale charges, possession of a modified firearm and machine gun, conspiracy to violate drug laws, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
At sentencing, Deputy District Attorney Michael Vieta-Kabell stated Banks had demonstrated an “incapable of reform” attitude and a “clear willingness to kill to protect his methamphetamine and fentanyl.”
In a separate case, 45-year-old Nathaniel Harriel was sentenced as a habitual offender. He received 10 to 25 years for possession of a firearm as a prohibited person, along with a concurrent 24 to 60 months for selling or transporting a Schedule I controlled substance.
The Regional Crime Suppression Unit (RCSU), comprising Reno and Sparks Police detectives, investigated Harriel after learning about his methamphetamine sales. An undercover officer arranged a drug-for-gun exchange, leading to Harriel’s arrest in September 2024.
Harriel’s extensive criminal record includes at least seven prior felony convictions such as battery by a probationer, unlawful sexual intercourse, corporal injury to a spouse, failure to register as a sex offender, firearm violations, and assault with intent to cause great bodily injury.
Deputy District Attorney Hillary Bunker recommended the habitual offender sentencing, highlighting Harriel’s repeated probation violations and long criminal history. The Honorable Lynne Jones imposed the sentence.
