COLUMBUS, Ohio – The government added 12 defendants and 28 new charges to a federal narcotics conspiracy case that now charges 23 total individuals.
A multi-agency law enforcement task force initially announced the case in July after a federal grand jury indicted 11 defendants for distributing bulk amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine in central Ohio within 1,000 feet of a Columbus elementary school.
A superseding indictment unsealed Friday now charges additional co-conspirators with distributing those same drugs in addition to methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, Xanax and Oxycodone.
According to the 42-count superseding indictment, from at least January 2008 until 2022, the drug trafficking organization sold drugs out of local West side Columbus residences to customers and distributed larger amounts to regional drug traffickers who then trafficking those narcotics to places such as West Virginia and the Northern District of Ohio.
Most of the alleged drug dealing took place within 1000 feet of Burroughs Elementary School in Columbus.
The indictment also alleges two defendants distributed fentanyl and crack cocaine that initially resulted in serious bodily harm to the victim, who ultimately died of an overdose.
As part of this case, local, state, and federal law enforcement officers have executed more than 20 search warrants at various locations throughout Central Ohio and seized more than $1.7 million in alleged drug proceeds. For example, while executing a search warrant at Car-Go storage units, law enforcement officials discovered at least $1.2 million in cash. Searches of residences yielded 47 firearms, diamonds, Rolex watches and additional bulk amounts of cash.
