19 indicted, 12 jailed in Miami Valley drug trafficking bust (2024)

by: Paul Rodzinka, WDTN.com Staff

Posted: Sep 26, 2019 / 11:05 AM EDT

Updated: Sep 26, 2019 / 04:48 PM EDT

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) -Federal, State and local authorities participated in a drug sweep Thursday morning. 19 people were indicted as part of the investigation.

The government unsealed charges against the 19 people Thursday morning. In a news conference Thursday afternoon, U.S. Attorney Ben Glassman and DEA Special Agent in Charge the charges and detailing the investigation into an alleged narcotics conspiracy has been scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

The 19 people indicted are (those in bold are in custody):

Glassman said a large drug-trafficking organization was based in Dayton and used 13 residences across the Miami Valley to “process, store and distribute drugs and cash proceeds.” Glassman continued, “But its reach was far beyond Dayton.”

The indictment includes “allegations about the organization’s activity in Kentucky, among other places,” Glassman said.

The indictment alleges this organization, according to Glassman, had large quantities of fentanyl, “moved thousands of dollars in cash, bought luxury goods with their profits and fled from federal task force offices on multiple several occasions. And now, all of that is over,” said Glassman.

The specific charges in the indictment are conspiracy to traffic drugs, substantive drug trafficking counts and using communication facilities to commit these crimes.

Glassman said each of the 19 individuals charged faces a mandatory minimum of at least 10 years in prison.

DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mauricio Jimenez said, “It’s a good day for Dayton, Montgomery County and the surrounding communities.” Jimenez said the indictments were the result of a DEA led investigation with the assistance of several area agencies including:

• Ohio State Highway Patrol
• Dayton Police Department
• Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office
• Springfield Police Department
• Middletown Police Department

The investigation culminated in 19 federal indictments, the execution of 17 federal search warrants and 12 people arrested. Jimenez said the success of the operation would not have been possible without the assistance of:

• FBI
• U.S. Marshal Service
• Warren County Drug Task Force
• Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations
• Miami County Sheriff’s Office
• Tipp City Police Department
• Huber Heights Police Department
• Troy Police Department
• West Carrollton Police Department
• Trotwood Police Department
• DEA Columbus Office
• DEA Cincinnati Office

In addition to the 12 in custody, law enforcement seized cash, multiple firearms and varying quantities of controlled substances including fentanyl.

Jimenez said the organization distributed “multi kilogram quantities of fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine on a monthly basis throughout southwest Ohio.” The investigation took law enforcement agents to Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Arizona and California. Authorities say the Dayton-based organization was supplies by a Mexico-based organization smuggling illicit substances into the United States.

Jimenez said the investigation will continue with authorities working to learn more about the source of supply and officials anticipate more arrests and search warrants in the future.