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Attorney General Mike DeWine
Thirty-Seven
Indicted in Connection with Mahoning County Drug Trafficking
Organization
(YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, members of the
Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, and Mahoning County
Prosecutor Paul Gains today announced that a 261-count indictment has
been filed against 37 individuals accused in connection with a drug
trafficking organization operating in Mahoning County.
The indictments follow a heroin trafficking investigation led by the
Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force’s Drug Unit with assistance
from Attorney General DeWine's Heroin Unit.
Prosecutors with Attorney General DeWine's Special Prosecutions
Section, acting as special assistants to the Mahoning County
Prosecutor's Office, presented the case to a Mahoning County grand jury
last Thursday, and members of the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task
Force's Drug Unit served arrest warrants in connection with the case
today.
"The primary goal of large-scale investigations like this is to go
after the main drug traffickers who are profiting from addiction,
dismantle their drug operations, and hold them accountable," said
Attorney General DeWine. "Heroin is taking lives and tearing
families apart all across Ohio, and state, local, and federal
authorities will continue to work together to bring these trafficking
organizations down."
Among the 37 suspects indicted, Terrence Rushton, 32, of Youngstown,
who is believed to be the ringleader of the group, was charged with
engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, trafficking in heroin,
complicity to trafficking in heroin, aggravated trafficking in drugs,
trafficking in cocaine, money laundering, and having weapons while
under disability. Rushton was arrested on the charges this
morning.
An additional 12 individuals identified as the main and mid-level
operators of the organization were also charged with engaging in a
pattern of corrupt activity and multiple other drug-related charges.
Those in bold were in custody as of 3:00 today:
Michael Cain, 37, Youngstown
Raymond Wright, 36, Youngstown
Keith Johnson, 26, Youngstown
Hiawatha Johnson, 28, Youngstown
Ashanti Bunch, 39, Youngstown
Charles Frohman, 31, Girard
Trevon Howell, 25, Youngstown
Brandon Williams, 24, Youngstown
Shenika Rushton, 33, Youngstown
Randy Cox, 34, Austintown
Heidi Smith, 31, Mineral Ridge
James Vespasian, 33, Struthers
A list of additional defendants indicted in connection with the case,
as well as a copy of the indictment, can be found on the Attorney
General's website.
“Today’s arrests are the result of a lengthy investigation, which used
a multitude of conventional investigative techniques that consisted of
seven-day work weeks, often 24 hours a day,” said Mahoning Valley Law
Enforcement Task Force Detective Greg Wilson. “This investigation
would not have been possible without the support of our member
agencies’ trustees, councilmen, councilwomen, and chiefs of police who
have supported the task force and its vision. Also, our support
staff have played an integral role in the task force’s success, and of
course, we thank our families who sacrifice their personal time with us
as we investigate these complex cases, all in a cooperative effort to
make Mahoning County a safer place to live.”
Additional charges listed in the 261-count indictment include
possession of heroin, aggravated possession of drugs, possession of
cocaine, felonious assault, receiving stolen property, improperly
handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, and possession of
marijuana. A major drug offender specification was also filed
against 15 of the defendants.
Multiple forfeiture specifications for property alleged to have been
obtained through the commission of illegal felony drug abuse activity
were also filed for items such as guns, ammunition, body armor, stun
guns, and multiple vehicles.
The Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force is made up of
authorities from the Austintown Township Police Department, Canfield
Township Police Department, Poland Township Police Department, Adult
Parole Authority, Beaver Township Police Department, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Liberty Township Police Department, Mahoning County
Sheriff’s Office, Springfield Township Police Department, Struthers
Police Department, Youngstown Police Department, and Youngstown State
University Police Department.
Authorities working as part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Areas (HIDTA) Program also assisted with the investigation, and those
with the U.S. Marshals Service assisted task force members in serving
today's arrest warrants.
Attorney General DeWine created the Heroin Unit in 2013 after
information gathered by the Attorney General's Office revealed an
increasing rate of heroin overdose deaths across the state. The
unit is made up of authorities from the Attorney General’s Bureau of
Criminal Investigation, Special Prosecutions Section, and Ohio
Organized Crime Investigations Commission. The unit also includes
education and outreach specialists from the Attorney General’s Office.
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