Three men were arrested in Dayton last week after authorities seized over 40 pounds of fentanyl, which state officials said is enough to “kill the entire population of Ohio, many times over.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck, Federal Bureau of Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph Deters and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Vance Callender announced the drug bust last week.
Officials say, Shamar Davis, 31, Anthony Franklin, 30 and Grady Jackson, 37, of Dayton, were all arrested as part of the investigation. All three men are facing charges of possession with intent to distribute 400 or more grams of fentanyl and felon in possession of a firearm.
“These illegal drugs ruin lives, destroys families, fuels violence, drives up property crime, and wrecks neighborhoods. Anyone associated with it—especially those who sell and traffic it—are doing violence to people and causing harm in our communities,” said Sheriff Rob Streck. “We are proud of the teamwork on this investigation. With the help from our partner agencies, we were all able to take dangerous drug dealers off the streets.”
The three men were arrested after authorities found evidence that they were allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking.
As part of the investigation, agents seized over 40 pounds of suspected fentanyl, 1500 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 500 grams of suspected heroin, 3 firearms, and over $30,000.
“The quantity of fentanyl, in this case, amounts to chemical warfare and a weapon of mass destruction,” Yost said. “I applaud the work of our task force and our law enforcement partners – this is an enormous amount of deadly drugs that will no longer be on our streets.”
Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger said the seizure will help save lives in the future.
“Fentanyl and methamphetamine are responsible for the vast majority of overdose deaths in our area, removing these materials from our streets will save lives,” said Harshbarger.
Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge for Michigan and Ohio Vance Callender emphasized the significance of the amount of fentanyl seized.
“Twenty kilograms of fentanyl is enough to kill the entire population of Ohio, many times over,” Callender said. “As this significant seizure makes clear, HSI and our partners are united in our resolve to protect our communities and our country from the deadly scourge of drug trafficking. We stand ready to use every tool and resource at our disposal to attack and dismantle these organizations from the low-level dealers to the source of supply with our law enforcement partners.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Deters of the FBI’s Cincinnati Division said the seizure shows the impact of the area’s opioid crisis.
“This multi-million dollar fentanyl seizure clearly shows the enormity of the opioid problem in this area,” stated Deters. “Law enforcement will continue to work aggressively to address the illegal drug supply, but there is also a continuing need to address demand as well.”
