Gregory
A. White, United States Attorney for the NorthernDistrict of Ohio, John
F. Ferster, Resident Agent in Charge, DrugEnforcement Administration
(DEA); Derek M. Siegle, Acting SpecialAgent in Charge, Federal Bureau
of Investigation (FBI); and DrewAlexander, Summit County Sheriff and
head of the Summit CountyDrug Unit, today announced the execution of
search and arrestwarrants in Akron, Canton and Columbus, Ohio, in connection
witha drug trafficking enterprise centered on the “Thomas Family” ofAkron,
Ohio, and its leader, Ervin Thomas. According to Mr.White, a 19-count indictment
was unsealed charging the following defendants:
|
Name |
Age |
Last Known Address |
Ervin Thomas |
44 |
Columbus, Ohio |
Eddie Grant |
46 |
Akron, Ohio |
Terrance Thomas |
39 |
Akron, Ohio |
Carolyn Thomas-Reliford |
41 |
Akron, Ohio |
Leroy Grant |
44 |
Barberton, Ohio |
Mark Jones |
43 |
Canton, Ohio |
Meles Hailu Mezgebo |
46 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Veronica Guzman-Tellez |
42 |
Chicago, Illinois |
Gabriela Sarahy-Guzman |
21 |
Chicago, Illinois |
John W. Smith |
53 |
Indianapolis, Indiana |
Ernest Ruffin |
33 |
Akron, Ohio |
Leandre Lewis |
33 |
Akron, Ohio |
Dazzle Joe Young |
63 |
Akron, Ohio |
Each of the defendants are charged in Count 1 of the indictmentwith conspiracy
to distribute and to possess with the intent todistribute cocaine and crack.
The indictment alleges that theconspiracy existed from at least as early
as May 2006 toapproximately September 2007, and involved more than fivekilograms
of cocaine and 50 grams of crack. The maximum statutory penalty for this
offense is life imprisonment.
The indictment further alleges substantive counts of cocainedistribution
in Counts 2 through 16:
COUNT |
DATE |
DEFENDANT(S) |
AMOUNT |
2 |
May 4, 2006 |
Terrance Thomas |
27.72 grams |
3 |
June 7, 2006 |
Terrance Thomas |
43.9 grams |
4 |
June 22, 2006 |
Terrance Thomas |
81.8 grams |
5 |
July 24, 2006 |
Terrance Thomas Ervin Thomas |
56.5 grams |
|
|
Leroy Grant |
|
6 |
September 20, 2006 |
Terrance Thomas |
55.6 grams |
7 |
October 19, 2006 |
Leandre Lewis |
14.99 grams |
8 |
November 21, 2006 |
Terrance Thomas |
56.2 grams |
9 |
January 30, 2007 |
Terrance Thomas |
12.9 grams |
10 |
February 7, 2007 |
Ernest Ruffin |
11.0 grams |
11 |
June 7, 2007 |
Terrance Thomas |
42.0 grams |
12 |
July 15, 2007 |
Terrance Thomas Mark Jones |
491.68 grams |
13 |
September 13, 2007 |
Ernest Ruffin |
13.7 grams |
14 |
September 17, 2007 |
Dazzle Joe Young |
7.0 grams |
15 |
September 19, 2007 |
Ervin Thomas |
147.3 grams |
16 |
September 24, 2007 |
Ernest Ruffin |
27.5 grams |
The maximum statutory penalty for each of these offenses is 20years imprisonment.
Counts 17 and 19 of the indictment charge defendants Meles HailuMezgebo,
Veronica Guzman-Tellez, Gabriela Sarahy-Guzman and John W. Smith with interstate
travel to promote drug trafficking. The maximum statutory penalty for this
offense is 20 yearsimprisonment.
Finally, Count 18 charges defendants Eddie Grant, VeronicaGuzman-Tellez,
and Gabriela Sarahy-Guzman with engaging in afinancial transaction involving
$14,257.00 in U.S. currency,which represented proceeds of a specified unlawful
activity, thatis drug trafficking. The maximum statutory penalty for thisoffense
is 20 years imprisonment.
If convicted, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by theCourt
after review of factors unique to the case, including thedefendant’s
prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s rolein the offense,
and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will
not exceed the statutory maximum and inmost cases, it will be less than
the maximum authorized by law.
According to Mr.
White, the investigation was conducted under the U.S. Attorney’s
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force(OCDETF) which is part of
a national program that seeks toidentify, investigate and prosecute significant
drug traffickingenterprises by utilizing multiple investigative and prosecutiveresources.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant UnitedStates Attorney Samuel
A. Yannucci, who is assigned to the OCDETFUnit for the Northern District
of Ohio.
DEA Resident Agent
in Charge Ferster noted, “This investigationnot
only showcased the ongoing coordinated effort of federal andstate law enforcement
agencies comprising the Summit County DrugUnit to meet local community
concerns about drug trafficking butalso evidenced how those efforts can
impact the broader nationalwar on drugs.”
Sheriff Alexander
added, “The Summit County Drug Unit receivedvaluable
assistance throughout the investigation from the UnitedStates Marshal’s
Office Fugitive Task Force, the Akron PoliceDepartment and its Street Narcotics
Unit Detail (SNUD), and theCanton Police Department.”
The Summit County
Drug Unit consists of agents from DEA, FBI,Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF), OhioBureau of Criminal Identification
and Investigation (BCI) and lawenforcement officers from the Summit County
Sheriff’s
Office andthe Police Departments of Akron, University of Akron, Barberton,Copley,
Cuyahoga Falls, Reminderville, Springfield Township,Stow, and Twinsburg.
An indictment is
only a charge. It is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to
a fair trial, in which it will be thegovernment’s
burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
|