Seventeen People Indicted For Distribution Of Cocaine, Heroin And Marijuana
Contact: Public Information Officer
Number: (313) 234-4310
CLEVELAND - A grand jury returned a 57-count indictment charging 17 people for their roles in a conspiracy that distributed cocaine, heroin and marijuana on the streets of Youngstown, Akron and Columbus, law enforcement officials announced.
Terrance A. Tarver obtained cocaine and marijuana from individuals in Columbus for distribution in Youngstown, Akron and Columbus. Tarver also obtained heroin from sources in Youngtown and Akron for distribution in Youngstown and Akron, according to the indictment.
Tarver was one of 10 people named in a federal indictment filed in April 2012. He has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing. This indictment details a distribution network of people who obtained drugs from Tarver and then sold them throughout Northeast Ohio.
Count 1 charges all 17 people listed below with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, heroin and marijuana:
Counts 2-4 of the indictment charge defendants Benjamin J. Phillips, Abdul W. Muhammad, aka Wally, Brandon M. Williams and Patrick D. McWhorter with maintaining a premises for the purposes of distributing and using controlled substances. Counts 5-57 of the indictment charge the defendants with using a telephone to facilitate drug trafficking.
The investigation was conducted under the U.S. Attorney’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task (OCDETF) which is part of a national program that seeks to identify, investigate and prosecute significant drug trafficking enterprises by utilizing multiple investigative and prosecution resources.
If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal records, if any, the defendants’ roles in the offenses and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement (DEA), the Federal Bureau of (FBI), and the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy L. Kelley and Linda H. Barr.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
