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Feds round up suspects in drug indictments
FOUR SUSPECTS REMAIN AT LARGE
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Federal agents and police rounded up suspects in two separate drug indictments after cases against them were unsealed in federal court.
Two of the suspects had previously served lengthy prison sentences for being part of a street gang in the 1990s that sold cocaine brought in from New York City and Detroit.
Bob Bolzano, in charge of the Youngstown Drug Enforcement Agency office, said only four people had yet to be brought in as of late Wednesday. Authorities began the roundup early Wednesday.
Bolzano said the highest-priority suspects have been arrested but the remaining four, one of whom is out of state remained at large. He said he expects those suspects to surrender to authorities over the next few days.
In the first case, 12 people face a 79-count indictment for selling heroin and committing crimes while doing so between August 2015 and June 2016 in the city.
Those indicted are Aaron L. Rogers, 47; Cametrius K. Adams, 40; Darry K. Woods, 40; Mack Hill, 25; James L. Jackson, 41; Deondea K. Hill, 23; Queevys D. Clinkscale; Trina Hill, 43, Brian K. Hunter, 44; John J. Montero, 39; Terrell L. Leonard, 38; and Cornell L. Kennedy, 33.
All are from Youngstown except Clinkscale, who is from Cleveland.
Rogers and Hunter both served lengthy prison sentences in the 1990s as members of the Ready Rock Boys gang, which sold cocaine in Youngstown at the time.
According to Vindicator files, Rogers and Hunter were two of 10 members who were indicted in 1994 and had been selling drugs for at least five years. At first the drugs came in from Detroit, but at the time of the indictment up to 70 percent of the drugs they were selling came from New York City.
The current indictments said Woods gave heroin to Jackson to sell in the city, and Rogers gave Jackson heroin and cocaine to sell. Those drugs were then given to Montero and both Mack and Trina Hill. Jackson also gave drugs to Clinkscale, Hunter, Leonard, Adams and Mack and Trina Hill, according to the indictment.
Trina Hill had a home on Ravenwood Avenue on the South Side she used to sell and store drugs, the indictment said. Prosecutors are also seeking to seize $113,711 in cash, along with three .40-caliber pistols, a .12-gauge shotgun, two AR-15 assault rifles, two .45-caliber pistols, a .38-caliber pistol and an assault pistol.
The other indictment charges seven people with the intent to distribute heroin in the Youngstown area beginning in June 2015.
Those indicted are Richard L. Jones, 50, of Ravenna; Willie J. Beachem, 69, Leonard, Ronald C. Gilbert, 40 and Shajehan Haywood, 45, all of Youngstown; Ricky C. Jordan, 33, of North Lima; and Shane S. Blair, 38, of Sebring.
That indictment said Jones gave heroin to Haywood and Leonard, who in turn gave the drugs to the other four people who were indicted so they could sell them.
Prosecutors also requested any money from that ring be seized as well, but they did not give a dollar figure. That indictment does not mention any weapons.
Both cases were conducted with wiretaps of cellphones. The indictments are full of conversations between the suspects, who used code words such as “True Religion Jeans,” “Michael Vick,” “80th Street,” “Ticket” and “Fire.”
The indictments in both cases were issued July 20 but were sealed until Wednesday, when the suspects were rounded up.
The court also unsealed indictments against three people for selling drugs in Ravenna. They were being sought Wednesday as well.
Todd Werth, resident agent in charge of the Youngstown FBI office, credited the cooperation between other agencies, including the DEA, the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office and the Youngstown Police Department, for building the cases.
Werth said both rings were large, and he said the arrests could affect the heroin for some time.
Bolzano said the indictments will have an effect for awhile on the street-level heroin trade. He said if someone needs a dose of heroin they will have to look a bit harder for it for the near future.
Eventually, however, someone will come in to take the place of those rounded up.
“Somebody always fills the vacuum,” Bolzano said.