Kilogram Of Fentanyl, $500K Seized In Ohio

CINCINNATI — One kilogram of fentanyl and more than $500,000 were seized in southwestern Ohio this week, law enforcement announced.

“Drug traffickers aren’t staying at home during the pandemic – they are out actively working to smuggle deadly drugs into our communities,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “This interdiction shows the relentless perseverance our task forces and law enforcement partners have to keep these drugs off our streets.”

Federal, state and local law enforcement were investigating a possible drug smuggling ring in southern Ohio when the Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force seized a kilogram of fentanyl. Two people were also taken into custody this week.

Derrick Ferris, 44, of Cincinnati, and Jose Antonio Garcia, 22, of California, have been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Ferris has been wanted by law enforcement since 2015, Yost said.

Agents were executing search warrants around Cincinnati and parts of southwest Ohio when Ferris and Garcia were taken into custody.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is a deadly narcotic that has driven a spike in overdoses in Ohio and around the nation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.