Ohio connection in major drug ring indictment for smuggling fentanyl, heroin, cocaine

The U.S. Attorney's Office announced Aug. 1 that 19 people, including one person from Ohio, were indicted by a federal grand jury for participating in a large-scale drug trafficking organization.

The drug ring, according to U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania Eric Olshan, moved fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and oxycodone, according to reporting by the Detroit Free Press .

Listed as one of the defendants was Frank Christian, 51, from Youngstown, Ohio. All 19 of the defendants, whose ages ranged from 24 to 61, lived in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. According to federal agents, the operation was run by criminals who drove drugs across the country and, in many cases, had criminal histories.

"This conspiracy involved a tight-knit network of family and friends," said Olshan. He added that, going back to August 2023, the defendants trafficked "large quantities of lethal narcotics."

Conspiracy to distribute drugs

The drug trafficking organization, agents said, was based in Detroit and New Castle, and was responsible for the acquisition of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine (some in the form of crack), according to the indictment and court records.

The 19 defendants, the U.S. attorney's announcement said, were charged with conspiring to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, at least five kilograms of cocaine, 400 grams of fentanyl, 100 grams of heroin, and oxycodone.

If convicted, each faces a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of up to life in prison and a $10 million fine.

New Castle—near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border—is about 20 miles southeast of Youngstown and 40 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The city has a population of about 20,000 and boasts on its website that it's "a close visit from just about anywhere!"

Piecing together the case

Investigators pieced together the case using confidential sources, informants and surveillance evidence, according to the arrest affidavit. They also analyzed phone records, drug purchases, and court-authorized wiretaps going back to May. The wiretaps and phone text messages, the affidavit said, revealed that some members of the drug group had been recruited to work in “trap houses,” a name for places where drugs were processed and distributed, in New Castle.

Law enforcement agents involved with the drug case praised inter-agency cooperation, crediting, among many groups, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Michigan State Police, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Nebraska—and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The damaging effects of fentanyl

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug used by medical professions for pain relief but which has become a killer nationwide, especially as it is laced with other drugs and used recreationally. Experts say that while it's relatively easy to make, fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine and can be lethal in doses as small as two milligrams.

Despite the drug epidemic claiming thousands of lives per year , overdose deaths in Ohio reportedly decreased to an eight-year low in January, based on data from the Ohio Department of Health analyzed by the nonprofit Harm Reduction Ohio , which provides overdose-reversing medication.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nation’s public health agency, estimated in May that overdose deaths had declined by about 3% in 2023 but also concluded deaths from cocaine and psychostimulants, like methamphetamine, had increased.

President Biden signed a memorandum in late July directing agencies to double down on efforts to disrupt the supply chain of illegal fentanyl and other synthetic opioids through increased information sharing between intelligence and law enforcement agencies, USA Today reported.

Frank Witsil contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio connection in major drug ring indictment for smuggling fentanyl, heroin, cocaine