Home Cleveland Press Releases 2010 Twenty-Three Charged with Drug-Related Crimes Involving Powder and Crack Cocaine
Info
This is archived material from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function.

Twenty-Three Charged with Drug-Related Crimes Involving Powder and Crack Cocaine

U.S. Attorney’s Office October 20, 2010
  • Northern District of Ohio (216) 622-3600

A federal grand jury sitting in Cleveland, Ohio, returned a 55-count indictment charging 23 people from the Mansfield, Ohio area and elsewhere with various drug-related crimes involving powder and crack cocaine, Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and C. Frank Figliuzzi, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland office, announced today.

At the same time, Richland County prosecutors unsealed a state indictment charging five people with conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

“Today’s actions should send a strong signal that my office is committed to continuing the strong partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies,” Dettelbach said. “We will continue to fight to keep drugs from flowing into the Mansfield area.”

Figliuzzi said: “A significant impact has been made on the drug-supply network into the Mansfield area because of the hard work of a lot of law enforcement agencies.”

Count 1 of the federal indictment charges DAMELL D. OWENS, age 32, JORGE LOPEZ, age 38, LATASHA S. OWENS, age 33, KEVIN D. BURTON, age 34, FRANK T. DOUGLAS, age 30, DANNY L. BROWN, age 29, STEVE MATHEWS, JR., age 32, JIMMIE JAVELLE, age 32, DONKEIA O. BLUE, age 34, RONNIE J. CARTER, age 38, MARK M. CASTILE, age 36, ARTHUR L. DARBY, age 56, NATHAN C. FEAGIN, age 34, WILLIE C. FEAGIN, age 55, MARVIN P. TANNER, age 35, FRANK D. THOMAS, age 41, LANCE T. THOMAS, age 25, QUINCY A. HOLDER, age 32, GEARY L. HOOD, age 56, RICO E. JACKSON, age 47, DOUGLAS LINDSAY, JR., age 30, MICHAEL L. MCCOY, age 31 and PAUL E. KELLY, age 46, with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of five kilograms or more of cocaine, and greater than 50 grams of cocaine base (crack).

Counts 2 and 3 of the indictment charge DAMELL D. OWENS with the distribution of approximately 124 grams and 83 grams of cocaine, respectively. Counts 4 and 5 of the indictment charge ARTHUR L. DARBY with possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of approximately .45 grams and .34 grams of cocaine base (crack), respectively. Counts 6 and 7 of the indictment charge FRANK T. DOUGLAS with possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of approximately 2.4 grams and 1.9 grams of cocaine base (crack), respectively. Count 8 of the indictment charges DAMELL D. OWENS and LATASHA S. OWENS with possession with the intent to distribute and distribution of approximately 139 grams of cocaine. Count 9 of the indictment charges DANNY L. BROWN with possession with the intent to distribute greater than 5 grams cocaine base (crack). Counts 10, 11, and 12 charge DAMELL D. OWENS and FRANK D. THOMAS with traveling in interstate commerce (to and from Georgia) to facilitate the conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base.

Counts 13-54 charge various members of the conspiracy 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 investigation revealed that DAMELL D. OWENS operated a drug trafficking operation (DTO) in the Mansfield, Ohio. DAMELL D. OWENS would receive shipments of both cocaine in kilogram amounts and cocaine base from his source, JORGE LNU in the Atlanta area and return the narcotics to the Mansfield, Ohio area. DAMELL D. OWENS would then distribute the cocaine and cocaine base (crack) through his DTO throughout the Mansfield, Ohio, area, according to the charges.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Corts following an investigation by the Mansfield FBI and the Mansfield Richland County METRICH Enforcement Unit.

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.

This content has been reproduced from its original source.