40 pounds of fentanyl seized in Dayton compared to ‘chemical warfare, weapon of mass destruction,’ Ohio AG says
DAYTON, Ohio (FOX19) - Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck announced Wednesday morning his department and others seized more than 40 pounds of suspected Fentanyl.
Sheriff Streck says the drug bust happened the week of Oct. 21.
He says his office was aided by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, FBI’s Cincinnati Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Joseph Deters, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Vance Callender.
“The quantity of fentanyl in this case amounts to chemical warfare and a weapon of mass destruction,” Yost said. “I applaud the work of our task force and our law enforcement partners - this is an enormous amount of deadly drugs that will no longer be on our streets.”
The Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force, which is part of the Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, FBI Street Task Force, and the RANGE Task Force made three arrests in the bust.
“These illegal drugs ruin lives, destroys families, fuels violence, drives up property crime, and wrecks neighborhoods. Anyone associated with it — especially those who sell and traffic it — are doing violence to people and causing harm in our communities,” Streck said. “We are proud of the teamwork on this investigation. With the help from our partner agencies, we were all able to take dangerous drug dealers off the streets.”
Shamar Davis, 31, Anthony Franklin, 30, and Grady Jackson, 37, of Dayton, are all facing charges of possession with the intent to distribute 400 or more grams of fentanyl and felony possession of a firearm.
“Fentanyl and methamphetamine are responsible for the vast majority of overdose deaths in our area, removing these materials from our streets will save lives,” Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Kent Harshbarger said.
The sheriff’s office says agents seized more than 20 kilograms of suspected fentanyl, 1500 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 500 grams of suspected heroin, three firearms, and more than $30,000 cash.
“20 kilograms of fentanyl is enough to kill the entire population of Ohio, many times over,” Callender said. “As this significant seizure makes clear, HSI and our partners are united in our resolve to protect our communities and our country from the deadly scourge of drug trafficking. We stand ready to use every tool and resource at our disposal to attack and dismantle these organizations from the low-level dealers to the source of supply with our law enforcement partners.”
“This multi-million dollar fentanyl seizure clearly shows the enormity of the opioid problem in this area,” Deters said. “Law enforcement will continue to work aggressively to address the illegal drug supply, but there is also a continuing need to address demand as well.”
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