08-21-2012, 09:51 PM
Published: 2/5/2005
Nine in gang charged in drug case
BY CHRISTINA HALL
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Nine men - all Bloods street gang members or their associates - were arrested yesterday after a six-month investigation that targeted a drug-trafficking operation in Toledo and other unidentified areas, authorities said.
Arrest warrants were issued for two other people. Authorities declined to identify them because they were not in custody.
All were charged in U.S. District Court with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana.
Carl Spicocchi, head of the Toledo FBI office, declined comment, but said: "I think it will have a definite impact on the community."
Eight of the men, who were arrested in the Toledo area, appearedyesterday before U.S. Magistrate Vernelis Armstrong. The ninth was arrested in Harrisburg, Pa.
All but one - Craig Dotson II, 27, of 5424 Nebraska Ave. - were being held in the Lucas County jail pending preliminary hearings and detention hearings.
Also arrested were:
●Kelvin Gist, 32, of 5637 Swan Creek Drive.
●Thomas Ingram, 35, of 1726 Freeman St.
●Kevin Lashuay, 25, of 5365 Florita Drive.
●Sean Love, 33, of 5814 Firethorne Drive.
●Shimon Maxwell, 30, of Toledo. He was arrested in Pennsylvania.
●Robert Mumford, 32, of 665 West Delaware Ave.
●Eloy Perez, 37, of 1014 Greenwood Ave.
●Chris Womack, 25, of 2414 Lawton Ave.
Authorities removed boxes of items when they searched 12 locations in Toledo and Waterville. Mr. Spicocchi declined comment on the seized evidence.
According to criminal complaints filed for most of the men, they are accused of conspiring to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute more than 11 pounds of cocaine and 225 pounds of marijuana. That activity occurred from last year through Wednesday, when the complaints were dated. Love's complaint indicated his involvement began in the 1990s.
According to an affidavit, the investigation involved confidential sources, wiretaps, and conversations, some of which occurred at The Zone, a clothing store on Dorr Street owned by Gist, which one assistant U.S. attorney said was used to facilitate the drug conspiracy.
Penalties for convictions on the offenses vary. In general, they range from five years to life in prison and millions of dollars in fines.
A few attorneys who hadn't had time to review the court records and relatives of one of the suspects declined comment after yesterday's court appearances.
The investigation involved about 40 law enforcement personnel who worked on the case. It also was part of the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative.
Other agencies that participated in the investigation were the Northwest Ohio Violent Crime/Fugitive Task Force, Sylvania Township and Waterville police departments, Lucas County sheriff's office, the Ohio Bureau of Identification and Investigation, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Big John's partner in crime.
Nine in gang charged in drug case
BY CHRISTINA HALL
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Nine men - all Bloods street gang members or their associates - were arrested yesterday after a six-month investigation that targeted a drug-trafficking operation in Toledo and other unidentified areas, authorities said.
Arrest warrants were issued for two other people. Authorities declined to identify them because they were not in custody.
All were charged in U.S. District Court with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and marijuana.
Carl Spicocchi, head of the Toledo FBI office, declined comment, but said: "I think it will have a definite impact on the community."
Eight of the men, who were arrested in the Toledo area, appearedyesterday before U.S. Magistrate Vernelis Armstrong. The ninth was arrested in Harrisburg, Pa.
All but one - Craig Dotson II, 27, of 5424 Nebraska Ave. - were being held in the Lucas County jail pending preliminary hearings and detention hearings.
Also arrested were:
●Kelvin Gist, 32, of 5637 Swan Creek Drive.
●Thomas Ingram, 35, of 1726 Freeman St.
●Kevin Lashuay, 25, of 5365 Florita Drive.
●Sean Love, 33, of 5814 Firethorne Drive.
●Shimon Maxwell, 30, of Toledo. He was arrested in Pennsylvania.
●Robert Mumford, 32, of 665 West Delaware Ave.
●Eloy Perez, 37, of 1014 Greenwood Ave.
●Chris Womack, 25, of 2414 Lawton Ave.
Authorities removed boxes of items when they searched 12 locations in Toledo and Waterville. Mr. Spicocchi declined comment on the seized evidence.
According to criminal complaints filed for most of the men, they are accused of conspiring to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute more than 11 pounds of cocaine and 225 pounds of marijuana. That activity occurred from last year through Wednesday, when the complaints were dated. Love's complaint indicated his involvement began in the 1990s.
According to an affidavit, the investigation involved confidential sources, wiretaps, and conversations, some of which occurred at The Zone, a clothing store on Dorr Street owned by Gist, which one assistant U.S. attorney said was used to facilitate the drug conspiracy.
Penalties for convictions on the offenses vary. In general, they range from five years to life in prison and millions of dollars in fines.
A few attorneys who hadn't had time to review the court records and relatives of one of the suspects declined comment after yesterday's court appearances.
The investigation involved about 40 law enforcement personnel who worked on the case. It also was part of the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative.
Other agencies that participated in the investigation were the Northwest Ohio Violent Crime/Fugitive Task Force, Sylvania Township and Waterville police departments, Lucas County sheriff's office, the Ohio Bureau of Identification and Investigation, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
Big John's partner in crime.
"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone."
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau