AKRON, Ohio – Fifteen individuals have been charged in two cases for their alleged roles in a large-scale operation to traffic illegal drugs throughout Northeast Ohio and Pennsylvania. The charges are the result of a year-long investigation by federal and local officials.
According to court documents, conspiracy members allegedly obtained methamphetamine from drug suppliers in Akron, Ohio, as well as arranged shipments from the U.S. border with Mexico. Methamphetamine was purchased in pound quantities and then re-sold to drug customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere in the region. Four residences in Akron were used as stash houses to store, process and distribute methamphetamine. Investigators seized approximately 15 pounds of methamphetamine and a firearm. The investigation revealed drug transactions totaling more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine.
Defendants were apprehended in a series of coordinated arrests from April to May resulting from criminal complaints and a federal 21-count indictment returned in May. The following are charged with:
Conspiracy to Distribute and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine
Clarence Daniels, 44, of Akron, Ohio Larry Finch, 43, of Akron, Ohio Nicholas Helfrick, 44, of Akron, Ohio Ricardo Allison, 44, of Akron, Ohio Sheldon Bell, 45, of Akron, Ohio John Townsend, 41, of Akron, Ohio Bryce Dittman, 27, of St. Petersburg, Pennsylvania Tyler Smith, 28, of East Brady, Pennsylvania Anthony Raunikar, 44, of Akron, Ohio Marcus Nixon, 45, of Akron, Ohio John Koza, 45, of Akron, Ohio Earl Breckenridge, 56, of Oil City, Pennsylvania Jazzmin Thomas, 30, of Akron, Ohio Samantha Lentz, 30, of Doylestown, Ohio Craig Consilio, 62, of Akron, Ohio Additional charges include:
Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine –Dittman, Smith, Breckenridge, Lentz, Raunikar, Finch, Allison, and Consilio Maintaining Drug Premises – Finch, Helfrick, and Consilio Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate a Drug Offense – Daniels, Finch, Helfrick, Allison, Bell, Townsend, Raunikar, Dixon, Koza, Breckenridge, Lentz, and Consilio Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition – Nixon; previous convictions include Illegal Manufacture of Drugs in 2001, and Illegal Assembly or Possession of Chemicals for the Manufacture of Drugs in 2016. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Akron Police Department and Ohio State Highway Patrol.
Assistant United States Attorneys Kristen Rolph and Toni Beth Schnellinger Feisthame l are leading the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.
Criminal complaints and indictments are charges only and are not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Ohio — U.S. Department of Justice press release.