Three Indicted on Drug Trafficking Charges

Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the Cleveland Division of the FBI in conjunction with FBI Pittsburgh, announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Cleveland, Ohio, returned a 19-count indictment charging:

1. Dontae Chambliss, age 38, of Bedford Heights, Ohio;

2. Michael Dwayne Blackwell, aka Kevin Campbell, age 41, of Los Angeles, California; and

3. Erin Dale House, age 37, of Los Angeles, California;

with violations of the federal narcotics and firearm laws.

Count 1 of the indictment charges Chambliss with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and/or distribution of at least five (5) or more kilograms of cocaine.

Counts 2-6 of the indictment charge Blackwell and House with traveling in interstate commerce to promote drug trafficking.

Count 7 of the indictment charges all three defendants with possession with the intent to distribute at least five (5) or more kilograms of cocaine.

Count 8 of the indictment charges Blackwell and House with possession with the intent to distribute at least one (1) or more kilograms of heroin.

Count 9 of the indictment charges Chambliss, a previously convicted felon, with illegally possessing a 9mm Glock pistol.

Counts 10-19 of the indictment charge Chambliss with the use of a communication facility (a telephone) to facilitate a drug trafficking offense.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal records, if any, the defendants’ roles in the offenses and the unique characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentences will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases they will be less than the maximum.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph M. Pinjuh and Michelle M. Baeppler following a four month investigation code named "Operation Van Delay", which included several Title III wire taps in the Northern District of Ohio and the Western District of Pennsylvania on the cellular telephones of Chambliss and Blackwell. The investigation revealed that Chambliss, Blackwell and House would arrange for multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine to be brought to Cleveland, Ohio, from Los Angeles, California, via semi-trucks driven by House and others. Thereafter, Chambliss and Blackwell, assisted by other members of the conspiracy, would sell the cocaine to their various customers in the greater Cleveland, Ohio, area and elsewhere. Additionally, Blackwell and House would travel to other cities to distribute large amounts of cocaine and heroin. During the investigation, the Illinois Highway Patrol seized 83 kilograms of cocaine (with a street value of over $2.1 million) destined for Cleveland. Additionally, on September 13, 2009, investigating agents and officers seized 54 kilograms of cocaine (with a street value of over $1.4 million), one kilogram of heroin (with a street value of over $70,000), over $32,000 in U.S. currency and one illegal firearm during the arrests and subsequent searches. Additional indictments have been returned in the Western District of Pennsylvania.

The investigation was conducted by agents and task force officers of the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force (NOLETF). The NOLETF is a long standing multi-agency task force comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Heights Police Department (CHPD), Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), Euclid Police Department (EPD), Lake County Narcotics Agency, Regional Transit Authority (RTA) Police Department, Willoughby Hills Police Department and Shaker Heights Police Department (SHPD). The NOLETF is also one of the initial Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) initiatives. The HIDTA Program supports and helps coordinate numerous Ohio drug task forces in their efforts to eliminate, or reduce drug-trafficking in the State of Ohio.

Dettelbach praised the work of the prosecutors assigned to the case as well as the team approach used by the state and federal agencies involved. “The charges in this indictment should send a clear message. Those who seek to use Ohio’s interstate system as a drug route may end up staying in our state for quite a bit longer than they planned.”

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.