Alleged Drug Ring In Lorain County Busted, 25 People Indicted

ELYRIA, OH — Twenty-five people have been indicted for allegedly working to bring narcotics into Elyria and Lorain County, the Department of Justice announced on Wednesday. The drug ring is accused of bringing heroin, fentanyl, crack cocaine, and other narcotics into the area.

“Today’s indictment and arrests shut off a pipeline of dangerous drugs that have killed so many of our friends and neighbors and caused pain and destruction in our community,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy Plancon. “This case is the result of a long joint investigation between DEA, Elyria police, the Lorain County HIDTA and many others.”

The accused ringleader is Troy Davis, of Elyria, who allegedly traveled to South Carolina to buy pills that were laced with furanyl fentanyl and pressed to look like 30 mg Percocet pills. He would then bring the pills back to Ohio, where he would sell them to others, the Department of Justice said.

Davis also allegedly sold cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and various fentanyl analogues to other drug dealers and customers in the Elyria area. Troy Davis sometimes received help from his uncle, Elonzo, the DOJ said.

The Davis' would use homes in Elyria to store and sell the drugs. They also used numerous vehicles, including rental cars, as well as multiple, pre-paid cell phones to sell and ship the drugs, according to the indictment.

“These defendants brought lots of deadly drugs into Elyria, including carfentanil and fentanyl,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Law enforcement worked together to dismantle this organization and the lives of countless Elyria residents will be better because of those efforts.”

Here is a list of the 25 people indicted for allegedly having a role in the drug ring (everyone is from Elyria, unless otherwise noted): Troy Davis, 37; Reginald Jenkins, 40; Stephen Phares, 25; Deondre Vaughn, 35, of Cleveland; Jarell Davis, 29, of Cuyahoga Falls; Leon Lamont Washington, 42; Raymond Trenell Oliver, 43; Anthony Rodgers, 35, of Cleveland; Elonzo Davis, 44; Quadron Johnson, 31; William Solomon, 43; Malik Hobson, 38; Johnnie Lawrence, 38; Richard Fluker, 59; Troy Martin, 37, of Cleveland; Myron L. Pryor, 47, of Cleveland; Alvin Fennell, 48,; Terrance Williams, 25,; Aaron White, 22,; Alkeem Fennell, 25; Cassandra Studebaker, 25,; Courtney Warrens, 25; Tommie Richardson, 27; Arthur Solomon, 45, and Mickey Tramaine Wright, 25.

Both Troy and Elonzo Davis were allegedly supplied by Vaughn, Jarell Davis, Washington, Oliver and Rogers. The Davis’ then resold the drugs to Lawrence, White, Pryor, Hobson and others.

“Opioids are killing people every single day in Ohio, and I firmly believe that those trafficking drugs into our communities have no regard for human life,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “This case is yet another example of our commitment to stopping drug traffickers who are fueling the opioid epidemic, and I applaud the state, local, and federal authorities who aggressively worked on this case.”

The investigation into the alleged drug ring included a multitude of law enforcement agencies, including: DEA’s Cleveland office, Elyria Police Department, the Lorain County HIDTA -- which is comprised of the Sheriff’s Lorain County Drug Task Force, DEA, Ohio Adult Patrol Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Avon Lake Police Department, Avon Police Department, Amherst Police Department, Oberlin Police Department and Vermilion Police Department -- Lorain Police Department, Lorain Prosecutor’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and U.S. Marshal Service.

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