Four Canton Men Sent to Prison for Drug Trafficking Involving Rated R Street Gang
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 01, 2013 |
Four Canton men were sentenced to prison this week for their involvement in a drug trafficking ring in which cocaine, heroin, and crack cocaine were brought into Stark County and distributed by members of the Rated R street gang, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland Field Office.
- Jasmine Watkins, 29, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- Virgil Hill, 26, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- Cordrick Owens, 32, was sentenced to 12 years, seven months in prison.
- Jerry Gordon, 25, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
All four previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances (cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin). Watkins also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, to be served concurrently to his 20-year sentence.
“This group is well known to law enforcement for causing serious trouble throughout Canton,” Dettelbach said. “These prison sentences will eliminate some of the worst of the worst offenders in Stark County.”
Anthony said, “These four sentences wrap up another phase of law enforcements efforts to dismantle drug trafficking groups in our area. The FBI will continue to work side by side with our law enforcement partners to make Canton neighborhoods a safer place to live.”
Watkins provided Gordon with shipments of drugs at a home in Columbus and then Gordon and others moved the drugs to a stash house he controlled on Sol Beck NE in Canton. Once there, Gordon distributed the drugs to local dealers, according to court documents.
Hill was identified in court documents as the leader of Rated R. He and others made large purchases of cocaine from Gordon, according to court documents.
Seventeen people have now been sentenced to prison in this case. They are:
- Travis Grant: 10 years, one month.
- Timothy Bertram: four years, nine months.
- Oscar Todd: 10 years, five months.
- Edward Turpin IV: 10 years.
- Perez Antwan Williams: five years.
- Demond Hill: 10 years, two months.
- Bennie Woodson: six years, 10 months.
- Ronald D. Hill: six years, 10 months.
- John L. Hill: three years, one month.
- Barry Giamourdes: four years, three months.
- Brandon Jones: 10 years.
- Lavanya Mayle: five years.
- Brian Brown: six years.
Five others were indicted on federal charges last month for their role in the conspiracy.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Linda H. Barr and Vasile C. Katsaros following an investigation by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, which is composed of the FBI, Canton Police Department, Alliance Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Stark County Sheriff’s Office, Massillon Police Department, and Perry Police Department.