FIVE SUSPECTS WITH DAYTON TIES ARRESTED IN DRUG RING

Officers seized items from organization multiple times, including when Dayton officer was killed.

Sixpeople, includingoneDayton resident and four Dayton natives, were arrested for alleged participation in a narcotics conspiracy that brought bulk fentanyl and cocaine to Dayton, the U.S. Department of Justice reported.

Lawenforcementofficersseized narcotics, cash and firearms from the drug trafficking organization onmultiple occasions, according to a DOJ release.

One of these occasions was a search warrant executed in the 1400 block of Ruskin Road on Nov. 4, 2019, in which Dayton Detective and Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force Officer Jorge Del Rio was shot and killed. The operation was later named“Operation Never Forget .”

According to the indictment, members of the conspiracy acquired bulk amounts of cocaine and fentanyl from suppliers in Los Angeles and Houston. They would then transport the drugs to Charlotte, N.C., where the drugs would be processed and repackaged for resale in southern Ohio and North Carolina, a release said.

Local distributors reportedly purchased kilogram quantities of the drugs and thousands of unit dos ages were distributed throughout southern Ohio. The indictment also states that members of the conspiracy collected hundreds of thousands in narcotics proceeds. The government seeks to forfeit more than $686,000 in cash seized during the investigation.

Those arrested include Raul and Pollard III, 35, of Dayton; Roger EarlWalton Jr., of Concord N.C., formerly of Dayton; Shawn D wayne Walton, 46, of Charlotte, N.C., formerly of Dayton; Noah Alexander Sherrill, 33, of Charlotte, N.C., formerly of Dayton; Glynn Sewell, 39, of Charlotte, N.C., formerly of Dayton; and LouisWalton, 22, of Charlotte, N.C.

They are all charged with conspiracyto possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. If convicted, they could face at least 10 years and up to life in prison.

The case is the result of the cooperative efforts of the DEA, led by the Dayton Resident Office and including DE A offices in Charlotte, N.C., Greensboro, N.C., Beaumont, Texas, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Atlanta, Annandale, Va., and the Special Operations Division; as well as FBI and ATF. These federal agencies worked closely with the Dayton, Charlotte-Mecklenburg andBeaumont police departments, and the Central OklahomaMetro Interdiction Team (COMIT), the release said.