(CINCINNATI, Ohio) —An investigation in southwestern Ohio has resulted in the seizure of more than half a million dollars and 1 kilogram of fentanyl, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, U.S. Attorney David DeVillers, Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck, Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Neil, FBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Hoffman, and Department of Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Vance Callender announced today.
“Drug traffickers aren’t staying at home during the pandemic – they are out actively working to smuggle deadly drugs into our communities,” Yost said. “This interdiction shows the relentless perseverance our task forces and law enforcement partners have to keep these drugs off our streets.”
As part of an ongoing investigation, authorities with the Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force and Southwestern Ohio Bulk Smuggling-Major Drug Interdiction Task Force seized 1 kilogram of fentanyl and over $500,000 in U.S. currency. The task forces are part of the Ohio Attorney General’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission.
The task forces arrested Derrick Ferris, 44, of Cincinnati who has been a fugitive from justice since 2015 and Jose Antonio Garcia, 22, of Lynwood, California. Both have been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Authorities arrested Ferris and Garcia after gathering evidence indicating they were allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking. As part of the investigation, agents executed a series of search warrants in the Cincinnati area.
The Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force is made up of officers from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Miami Township Police Department, Butler Township Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and Montgomery County Prosecutor's Office.
The Southwestern Ohio Bulk Smuggling-Major Drug Interdiction Task Force is made up of members of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office’s Regional Narcotics Unit along with partners from the Cincinnati Police Department, Green Township Police Department, and Cheviot Police Department. The task force is funded through Governor Mike DeWine’s Office of Criminal Justice Services.
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