Feds indict and round up 10 drug suspects

YOUNGSTOWN — Drug dealers used code on cell phones, referring to cocaine as pop singer Christina Aguilera, the government said.

Court papers show that, in one taped phone conversation, an unidentified man said he needed “at least a number” (a price for the drugs) and Ismael “Chico” Camacho III asked, “Which you talking about, the white bitch, Christina Aguilera?” and got the response “Yes, sir.” Camacho then said “Probably like, she’s probably like 28 or 29,” meaning $28,000 or $29,000 for a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine, the government said.

A federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a 29-count drug conspiracy indictment against Camacho, 26, of Youngstown and nine others, six from Campbell, in late November. The indictment was placed under seal until arrests were made last week. Not all defendants are charged in every count.

The others indicted from Youngstown are: Anthony Peeples, 19; Brian Ivory, 49; and Brian Gatewood, 27. Those indicted from Campbell are: Jonathan “Josh” Centeno, 23; Angel, last name and age unknown; Peter S. Prato, 55; Nicholas Badila, 27; Kristina Rodriquez, 19; and Randy Michaels, 19.

As of Tuesday, all but Gatewood and Michaels were in federal custody.

For more, see Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com