Elyria Man Indicted For Allegedly Selling Heroin, Fentanyl

ELYRIA, OH — An Elyria man has been accused of trafficking fentanyl, heroin and cocaine. Kenneth Ward was indicted this week in a federal court for his alleged drug activity.

The Department of Justice announced the indictment against Ward on Wednesday. The DOJ said the 44-year-old was being indicted on one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and multiple counts of distribution of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine.

According to court documents, Ward made multiple drug sales in March and April of this year. On April 28, Ward reportedly had nearly 22 grams of crack cocaine and four grams of fentanyl in his possession.

The investigation into Ward was led by the FBI and the Elyria Police Department.

Earlier this month, Lorain County was picked to take part in an aggressive, anti-opioid program being rolled out by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The county will see an "enforcement surge" as part of the program.

Lorain County had 39 heroin overdose deaths in 2014, 13 of which involved fentanyl. In 2015, that number jumped to 41 heroin deaths, with 20 involving fentanyl. But 2016 was one of the bloodiest overdose years in Lorain County history.

In 2016 there were 131 overdose deaths. Last year, there were 132 overdose deaths. The impact of the opioid epidemic has been felt in both large cities and small towns throughout Lorain County. Law enforcement will target people with prior drug trafficking charges and who are accused continuing to peddle illegal opiates.

(For more news like this, find your local Patch here. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app; download the free Patch Android app here. And like Patch on Facebook!)

Photo from Shutterstock