The indictment says the defendants ‘conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, mixtures and substances containing amounts of fentanyl.’
CLEVELAND — Federal officials say that 15 members of a drug trafficking operation (DTO) in Lorain County have been indicted after allegedly distributing more than 42,000 fentanyl pills.
In a release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Ohio says the DTO was allegedly trafficking fentanyl in counterfeit pill form in Elyria, Lorain, and surrounding Northeast Ohio areas.
The following defendants were charged in a 19-count indictment:
- Ronald Whittaker, 31, Cleveland
- Tyvez McCullum, 30, Elyria
- Ivan Barrios, 45, Lorain
- Tavon Martin, 28, Lorain
- Jaivon Wint, 27, Lorain
- Katlynn Caudill, 22, Lorain
- Nicholas Thomson, 47, Elyria
- Max Kennedy, 19, Wellington
- Jordan Johnson, 29, Elyria
- Angela Shuck, 35, Lorain
- Stacey Thomson, 48, Elyria
- Tyrone Phillips, 25, Elyria
- Joseph Kushner, 32, Berea
- Nicholas Burkholder, 29, Elyria
- Aubrey Brown, 29, Elyria
The release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says that “according to the indictment, from about May 2023 to October 2024, the defendants conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, mixtures and substances containing amounts of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.”
McCullum and Whittaker allegedly led the conspiracy. “After receiving pill supplies from Whittaker, McCullum would redistribute the fentanyl pills to the others listed in the indictment. Those individuals would, in turn, further distribute the fentanyl pills to their own networks throughout the Elyria and Lorain region. The named defendants are allegedly responsible for the distribution of at least 4,406.25 estimated grams of fentanyl and/or 42,793 blue fentanyl pills,” the release stated.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the investigation that led to the indictment took place over the last 18 months.
“Agents apprehended individuals in a series of coordinated arrests. They seized large quantities of fentanyl that included thousands of fentanyl pills made to look like legitimate prescription medications. Agents also discovered cash and several illegally possessed firearms during the investigation,” officials noted in the release.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA, FBI Cleveland Division, HSI, City of Lorain Police Department, City of Elyria Police Department, Lorain County Drug Task Force, United States Marshals Service, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, and the Lorain County Prosecutor’s Office.
“Given its extreme potency, fentanyl is extraordinarily dangerous—it has poisoned and killed over 3,500 Ohioans in 2023 alone. Distributing it disguised as legitimate prescription medication, as the indictment alleges the defendants did here, is particularly condemnable because it heightens the overdose danger for those who ingest it,” said United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Rebecca Lutzko. “I commend the incredible cooperation among our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to take thousands of these deadly pills off the streets. Their dedication and hard work led to a successful disruption of this organization, helping to make our neighborhoods safer and free from the criminals who peddle these poisons on our streets.”
Lutzko’s office notes that case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert F. Corts and Paul Hanna for the Northern District of Ohio.
