Four Arrested after Task Force Members Seize More than 650 Pounds of Marijuana
(LEBANON,
Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced today the formation of a
new Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC) task force focused
on the investigation and interception of large-scale illegal drug and cash
transactions in Warren, Butler, Hamilton, and Clermont counties.
The Southwest
Ohio Bulk Currency Smuggling Task Force is comprised of investigators from the
Warren County Drug Task Force, Clermont County Narcotics Unit, Regional
Enforcement Narcotics Unit, Ohio State Highway Patrol, U.S. Homeland
Security Investigations, and Butler County Prosecutor's Office.
"The goal of
this new task force is to target high-level
drug trafficking operations exchanging large amounts of money and drugs in southwest Ohio," said Attorney General DeWine.
“This collaboration of law enforcement in four counties in
Southwest Ohio will seriously disrupt the flow of drugs and illegal
proceeds into our region," said Southwest Ohio Bulk Currency Smuggling Task Force Commander John Burke.
"The number one way to
take down a criminal organization is to go after the money," said Marlon
Miller, special agent in charge for HSI Detroit, which covers Michigan and
Ohio. "Money is overwhelmingly the primary motive for the criminal activity
we investigate. When we eliminate a criminal organziation's profits, it
significantly inhibits their ability to commit crimes in our communities."
Last month, an investigation conducted by
task force members resulted in the indictments of four
individuals from Ohio, California, and Mexico after task force agents developed
intelligence that the suspects planned to transport bulk amounts of drugs from southwest Ohio to southeast Ohio.
The following
suspects were arrested after a traffic stop on State Route 32 in Clermont
County resulted in the seizure of more than 650 pounds of marijuana:
Gary Moore, 19, Vinton, Ohio
Jose Luis Torres, 28, Ontario, California
Juan Pablo Sevilla Ruiz, 34, Mexico
Jermaine Jackson, 33, Gallipolis, Ohio
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A Clermont County Grand Jury indicted each defendant on felony charges of Trafficking in Marijuana, Possession of Drugs, and Conspiracy to Commit Trafficking in Drugs. The cases will be prosecuted by the Clermont County Prosecutor's Office.
Established
in 1986, the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, which is a division of the Ohio Attorney General's Office, assists
local law enforcement agencies in combating organized crime and corrupt
activities. The Commission is composed of members of the law enforcement
community and is chaired by the Ohio Attorney General. In 2013,
authorities working in OOCIC task forces across the state seized more than $14
million worth of drugs and more than $5 million in U.S. currency.
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