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Press Release

Twenty-three People Indicted for Canton Cocaine Conspiracy

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio

A 47-count indictment was filed in federal court charging 23 people for their roles in a conspiracy that brought and sold cocaine and crack cocaine to Canton, law enforcement officials announced.

The indictment was announced by Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland Office and Canton Police Chief Bruce Lawver.

"This group brought pounds and pounds of cocaine into Stark County,” Dettelbach said. “Only through the good work of the FBI, the Canton police and all our partners was the pipeline shut down.”

“These individuals brought danger and illicit drugs to the streets of Canton and the surrounding territory,” Anthony said. “The FBI will continue collaborative law enforcement efforts to rid our streets of such poison and make our communities a safer place to live.”

“These cases make a significant impact on the community through the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the violence on our streets,” Lawver said. “By focusing on the gang members, drug traffickers and those who are responsible for the violence, we are able to form better relationships with our community as a whole.”

All those indicted are from Canton unless otherwise noted. Indicted are: James E. Walton, 39; Mario Munoz-Gonzales, 27, of Grove City; Eduardo Arredondo, 26; Jose Magueyal, 39; Raymond Jackson, 34; Marcus Houston, 39; Dardisi Alexander, 26; Darcell Anthony, 45; Dontez Lewis, 33; Abraham Joaquin, age unknown; Jack Pearson, 41; Brian Pinkney, 31; Dwight Martin, 55; Dante Harvey, 35; William Nicholson, 32; Terrance Wharton, 34, of Barberton; John Coburn, 27; Richard Taylor, 32; Clifford Cantwell III, 35; Justin Sybole, 26; Richard Crawford, 31, of Louisville, Ohio; Gregory Archer, 50, and Allen Woodson, 26.

The indictment details a two-year conspiracy in which Magueyal obtained kilogram-quantities of cocaine from Arredondo and Munoz-Gonzales. Magueyal, in turn, provided cocaine to Walton, Jackson, Houston, Alexander, Nicholson, Wharton, Joaquin, Taylor, Cantwell, Sybole, Woodson and others for distribution, according to the indictment.

Walton then provided cocaine and crack cocaine to Anthony, Lewis, Pearson, Harvey, Coburn, Pinkney, Martin, Archer, Crawford and others for distribution, according to the indictment.

Walton used stash houses and a storage locker to store drugs, drug proceeds and drug packaging materials, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors are seeking to forfeit several things used as part of or as a result of the criminal conspiracy, including three Canton homes, at 2914 Fairmount Blvd. NE (titled to Magueyal); 4707 Cleveland Ave. SW (titled to Cantwell) and 514 Webster Ave. NE (titled to Pinkney); four firearms, more than $85,000 in cash and four vehicles – a 1975 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale, a 2006 BMW 740i, a 2008 GMC Acadia and a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab LS, according to the indictment.

This indictment is the result of an investigation by the Stark County Safe Streets Task Force, which includes members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Canton Police Department, the Jackson Township Police Department, the Alliance Police Department and the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, with assistance from the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Stark County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Teresa Riley and Henry F. DeBaggis.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the court after a review of the federal sentencing guidelines and factors unique to the case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record (if any), the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Updated March 18, 2015