More Than 30 People Charged with Heroin Trafficking
Many Affiliated with Lakeshore Boyz Gang
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 23, 2013 |
Criminal charges were filed against 32 people for their roles in a ring that sold heroin on the Northeast Side of Cleveland and in Euclid, law enforcement officials announced today.
The indictments and arrests were announced by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty, United States Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach, Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson, Euclid Mayor Bill Cervenik, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Todd Wickerham, and Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath.
The following people are indicted in federal court:
- Derek A. Warner, 20, of Cleveland
- Willie James Lavel Dunning, 29, of Cleveland
- Nassor M. Williams, 28, of East Cleveland
All three men are charged with multiple counts of distribution of heroin. Warner and Dunning are also charged with being felons in possession of firearms.
The following people are indicted in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court:
- Timothy B. Bennett, 23, of Euclid
- Frederick Brown, 30, of Euclid
- Calvin Burks, 25, of Cleveland
- Kevin Carswell, 26, of Cleveland
- George D. Chambliss, 22, of Euclid
- William George, Jr., 25, of Euclid
- Cassius D. Foster, 28, of Cleveland
- Monte Glenn, 29, of Cleveland
- Curtis Harris IV, 21, of Euclid
- Derek Dion Jackson, 19, of Euclid
- Edward M. Jewell, Jr., 22, of Cleveland
- Chas D. Johnson, 25, of Euclid
- Davaunte M. Livest, 20, of Cleveland
- Gino D. Martin, 25, of Cleveland
- Brandon D. McBee, 23, of Cleveland
- Sir Kimberly McGraw, 36, of Cleveland
- Ramel K. McHaney, 28, of Cleveland
- Montel Spencer, 28, of Cleveland
- Luke O. Stewart, 20, of Cleveland
- Mose D. Stewart, 25, of Warren
- Maurice Thornton, 22, of Euclid
- Louis R. Tinker, 30, of Cleveland
- Michael D. Walker, 27, of Cleveland
- Antonio Welch, 31, of Cleveland
- Byron R. White, 31, of Cleveland
- Ronald A. White, Jr., 24, of Shaker Heights; Maurice A. Wilson, 25, of Cleveland
- Perez D. Worley, 22, of Cleveland
- Julius L. Wright, 29, of East Cleveland
Some of those indicted and still at large are affiliated with the Lakeshore Boyz street gang. Anyone with information about their whereabouts is encouraged to call the FBI at 216.522.1400.
According to law enforcement officials, the 29 defendants who were indicted on state charges belonged to a loosely aligned group of retail-level heroin and cocaine dealers who operated mostly on Cleveland’s far Northeast Side and in the city of Euclid.
The sales targeted in the state’s indictments took place between February and August of this year. Many of the sales took place within 1,000 feet of a school, an additional violation that elevates each offense one felony level and will add to the severity of any sentences.
In addition to the trafficking, defendant Brandon McBee, aka “Slim,” was indicted for felonious assault. On August 13, during an undercover heroin buy in Cleveland that was to culminate with McBee’s arrest, he attempted to flee and rammed his car into a police vehicle. McBee’s vehicle was badly damaged, and he required EMS treatment.
“These are the retailers of death and destruction to neighborhoods and families,” McGinty said. “Everyone will be better off with them in prison.”
“The arrests of the 32 individuals is testament to our commitment to the residents of our communities to get drug dealers off of our streets. Along with our law enforcement partners and the community, we will continue to do our best to stop drug traffickers from selling their poison in our neighborhoods,” McGrath said.
“The heroin sales that have taken place throughout our communities will not be tolerated,” Cervenik said. “We have heard the calls from our residents who have asked us to get rid of the drug dealers. Today, I'm happy to say that they won't be on our streets; instead, they'll be spending time in our jails.”
“These arrests are a fine example of how the FBI, and our law enforcement partners will aggressively pursue and bring to justice those individuals who place our community at risk,” Wickerham said.
“This case is a demonstration of law enforcement working together to improve neighborhoods in Northeast Ohio,” Dettelbach said.
The cases are the result of a yearlong investigation by the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force, which is jointly led by the FBI and Cleveland Division of Police and includes investigators from the FBI, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Cleveland Division of Police, Cleveland Heights Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Euclid Police Department, Regional Transit Authority Police Department, Strongsville Police Department, Westlake Police Department, and Shaker Heights Police Department.
The federal cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Hollinsgworth and Edward Feran, while the state cases are being prosecuted by Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Deb Naiman.
An indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial at which time it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.