12 guns, drugs and cash seized in East Side raid

12 guns, drugs and cash seized in East Side raid

YOUNGSTOWN

An arsenal was removed Tuesday afternoon when police raided what they said was a drug house on an otherwise quiet residential street on the city’s East Side.

The 12-gun arsenal included assault rifles, handguns, clips holding extra ammunition for the guns, thousands of rounds of ammunition, and a crossbow with a telescopic sight.

Also seized under a search warrant from the house at 931 McHenry St. was marijuana, hydrocodone, OxyContin, digital scales, about $2,000 in cash, security cameras and two television monitors.

Arrested on a series of drug charges was Bennie Johns Jr., 32, of that address. Two women, who were also on the premises when the raid occurred, were also arrested on outstanding bench warrants unrelated to the drug raid. The arrestees offered no resistance during the raid.

The raid followed a two-week investigation in response to complaints received by the mayor’s office, said Police Lt. Gerard Slattery, who displayed the guns, drugs and money confiscated in the raid at a news conference this afternoon.

The search warrant was issued by Judge Robert Milich of Youngstown Municipal Court.

The raid was conducted by city vice officers and the Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force.