The federal government’s Drug Enforcement Agency spent eight months on an undercover investigation in Cincinnati. A few days ago, the wraps came off the operation as SWAT officers raided nine properties in the city, WCPO reported.
Law enforcement officials believe they have put a big dent in a drug-trafficking organization. Officers arrested 11 suspects accused of drug crimes, seized 250 grams of fentanyl, as well as $15,000 in cash and four firearms in the raids.
As many regular readers of our Ohio criminal defense blog know, fentanyl is an opioid used to help kill pain after surgeries and other medical procedures.
Officials said fentanyl and carfentanil are high-priority these days because fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and carfentanil are 20 times as powerful as fentanyl.
According to court documents, informants purchased fentanyl at 15 different spots, many of them along a 3-mile stretch of the I-75 corridor in the northeast part of the city.
The DEA agent in charge of the operation said “We had 200 officers out on the street from DEA to the city to the drug task force, which has 14 agencies in it.”
He claims that the target organization moves about $2 million worth of fentanyl annually, using a wide variety of phone numbers and rented cars to make it difficult for authorities to track its activities.
Officials also targeted “enablers”; people accused of renting cars and houses for alleged drug dealers.
If you face drug-related charges, you can speak to an experienced criminal defense attorney by contacting Michael K. Allen & Associates.
