(CANTON, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Stark County Sheriff George Maier, Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced today that 14 individuals have been sentenced to serve time in prison for their participation in a drug trafficking organization that operated in and around Stark County.
The final defendant in the case was sentenced today.
A total of 17 individuals were indicted in December after a joint investigation by the Stark County Sheriff's Office Metropolitan Drug Task Force (SMDTF), DEA, and Ohio Attorney General DeWine's Heroin Unit uncovered the heroin and cocaine trafficking operation.
The ringleader of the group, Daemon Ford, 37, of Paris Township, pleaded guilty to twelve charges, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, conspiracy to trafficking in heroin and cocaine, trafficking in heroin and cocaine, possession of heroin and cocaine, and having weapons under disability. Ford was sentenced in February by Stark County Common Pleas Judge Taryn Heath to eight years in prison.
Of the other 16 suspects found guilty in connection with the case, one individual was sentenced to five years in prison, two were sentenced to serve four years and 11 months in prison, seven were sentenced to serve four years in prison, two were sentenced to serve three years in prison, and one was sentenced to two years in prison. The remaining three suspects, including the final defendant, Tyler Murray, of Dover, received suspended prison sentences with the condition that they complete a rehabilitation program.
Four of the defendants were also ordered to forfeit multiple guns.
"As a result of the teamwork by state, local, and federal investigators and prosecutors, we have succeeded in our goal of dismantling this drug trafficking organization," said Attorney General DeWine. "Law enforcement will continue to target those contributing to the heroin epidemic in this state, and those who choose to bring drugs into our communities should be prepared to spend time in prison as a result of their actions."
"Stark County is safer today now that the main players in this drug trafficking organization are locked up," said Sheriff Maier. "This case proves that those who traffic drugs into this county will be held accountable, and we will continue to collaborate with our state, local, and federal partners to hold responsible those who put drugs into the hands of Ohioans suffering from addiction."
"I would like to commend the Ohio Attorney General and all members of law enforcement who worked diligently in the arrest and prosecution of these individuals," said Stark County Prosecutor John Ferrero. "Our community is safer with these individuals off the streets. We will continue our efforts in vigorously prosecuting those who decide to bring these dangerous drugs into Stark County."
Prosecutors with Attorney General DeWine's Special Prosecutions Section and Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission prosecuted the case as special assistants to the Stark County Prosecutor's Office.
In addition to the SMDTF, DEA, and Attorney General’s Heroin Unit, the Ohio Highway Patrol, Northeast Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio assisted in the investigation. The U.S. Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation also assisted investigators in serving arrest warrants in connection with the case.
Attorney General DeWine created the Heroin Unit in 2013 after statistics gathered by the Attorney General's Office revealed an increasing rate of heroin overdose deaths across the state. The Heroin Unit is made up of authorities from the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), Special Prosecutions Section, and Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission. The Heroin Unit also includes education and outreach specialists from the Attorney General’s Office.
The Stark County Sheriff’s Office Metropolitan Drug Task Force includes investigators from the Stark County Sheriff’s Office, Canton Police Department, Jackson Township Police Department, Canal Fulton Police Department, Lawrence Township Police Department, Louisville Police Department, and North Canton Police Department.
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Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840