COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ten people, eight from Ohio, were charged for their alleged roles in a narcotics distribution operation. The drugs were allegedly shipped in from California and sold in parts of Ohio and West Virginia.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the South District of Ohio said the group has been charged by criminal complaints for participating in a drug trafficking organization involving:
- 76 kilograms of fentanyl, including 115,500 fentanyl-laced bills
- Nine kilograms each of methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana
- A distributable amount of heroin and crack cocaine
The following people have been charged:
- Darrell Enrico Maurice Peterman Sr., 60, of Youngstown
- Susana Maria Orellana, 39, of Columbus
- Martel D. Owens, 38, of Springfield
- Dwayne Stanley Childs, 33, of Columbus
- Justin M. Berrien, 42, of Springfield
- Kelvin R Battle, 47, of Springfield
- Jermaine Peterson, 37, of Springfield
- Linda Laura Marie Houle, 47, of Springfield
- Carl Dewayne Jenkins, 53, of Wadestown, West Virginia
- James Ian Sheets, 49, of Fairview, West Virginia
The attorney's office said the investigation stems from an arrest earlier this month of Isabel Odir Castellanos, of Los Angeles.
Castellanos allegedly transported narcotics from Los Angeles to Columbus with a semi-truck. Castellanos owns a transportation company, who often traveled across the country in a semi-truck.
Castellanos delivered the drugs to Orellana's Columbus home, which served as a stash house, according to the attorney's office. Orellana allegedly delivered the drugs to other distributors, who would then sell the drugs across central Ohio, Youngstown, Springfield and West Virginia.
Many of the drug transactions involved tens of thousands of dollars, the attorney's office says. In one case, Orellana allegedly transported 5,000 fentanyl pills to Childs' home in Columbus in exchange for $36,000.
Law enforcement officials have seized more than $478,000 in cash, a semi-truck, a Porsche Panamera, a BMW X5 and a GMC Terrain from the defendants.