Feds announce drug charges

25 people facing 59 counts

Federal officials announced 25 people are facing drug trafficking charges for selling opioids pressed to look like pills of the drug Percocet in Elyria, among other things.

On June 27, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced the 59-count indictment against the defendants, many of whom are from Elyria.

They allegedly were selling illegal drugs including fentanyl, carfentanil, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and fentanyl analogues pressed to look like Percocet, according to a news release.

“The events today are the culmination of nine months of work aimed at attacking the drug trade in Elyria and surrounding areas,” said Elyria police Chief Duane Whitely.

The Elyria Police Narcotics Unit started the investigation and partnered with the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Cleveland Office and the Lorain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, Whitely said.

“We are grateful for the excellent working relationship between all the Lorain County law enforcement agencies,” he said. “We will continue working together to attack the illegal drug trade throughout Lorain County.”

The defendants are: Troy Davis, 37; Reginald Jenkins, 40; Stephen Phares, 25; Deondre Vaughn, 35, of Cleveland; Jarell Davis, 29, of Cuyahoga Falls; Leon Lamont Washington, 42; Raymond Trenell Oliver, 43; Anthony Rodgers, 35, of Cleveland; Elonzo Davis, 44; Quadron Johnson, 31; William Solomon, 43; Malik Hobson, 38; Johnnie Lawrence, 38; Richard Fluker, 59; Troy Martin, 37, of Cleveland; Myron L. Pryor, 47, of Cleveland; Alvin Fennell, 48; Terrance Williams, 25; Aaron White, 22; Alkeem Fennell, 25; Cassandra Studebaker, 25; Courtney Warrens, 25; Tommie Richardson, 27; Arthur Solomon, 45, and Mickey Tramaine Wright, 25.

Everyone indicted is from Elyria unless otherwise noted.

The 59-count indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland.

According to the indictment:

Troy Davis traveled to South Carolina to buy pills laced with furanyl fentanyl and pressed to look like 30 mg Percocet pills from Jenkins. Davis brought the pills to Ohio, where he sold them to Phares and others.

Troy Davis sold cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and various fentanyl analogues to other drug dealers and customers in the Elyria area. Troy and Elonzo Davis, who are uncle and nephew, were supplied by Vaughn, Jarell Davis, Washington, Oliver and Rogers, the indictment continues.

The Davises then resold the drugs to Lawrence, White, Pryor, Hobson and others. The Davises and others used homes in Elyria to store and sell the drugs. They also used numerous vehicles, including rental cars, as well as multiple pre-paid cellular telephones, to facilitate the shipment and sale of drugs, according to the indictment.

“These defendants brought lots of deadly drugs into Elyria, including carfentanil and fentanyl,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Law enforcement worked together to dismantle this organization and the lives of countless Elyria residents will be better because of those efforts.”

The Lorain County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program is comprised of numerous Lorain County law enforcement agencies.

Participating are the Sheriff’s Office Lorain County Drug Task Force, DEA, Ohio Adult Patrol Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, the police departments of Avon, Avon Lake, Amherst, Oberlin, Vermilion, Elyria and Lorain, the Lorain Prosecutor’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and U.S. Marshal Service.

“Through the cooperation of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working together to share their resources, intelligence and manpower we can aggressively investigate drug trafficking organizations,” said Lorain County Sheriff Phil Stammitti.

“These organizations from the street level dealer to the main source suppliers are drastically having a devastating effect on our communities.

“In conjunction with the newly formed Lorain County (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program), we are proud of all the units that work together to aggressively investigate and pursue these drug trafficking organizations.”

Lorain police Capt. Roger Watkins agreed.

“We have always been appreciative of the level of cooperation between the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in this area in combating the drug issues that plague our communities,” Watkins said.

The case is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorneys Marisa T. Darden and Vasile C. Katsaros.