CLEVELAND – Sixteen individuals have been charged for their alleged involvement in a drug trafficking ring operating out of a car wash in Mansfield, Ohio. The charges are the result of a three-year-long investigation by federal and local officials. According to the superseding indictment filed July 8, the defendants are alleged to be responsible for trafficking large quantities of controlled substances in Richland County and the surrounding areas. Oxycodone was obtained from suppliers in Detroit, Cleveland, and Toledo which co-conspirators redistributed in Mansfield.
The drugs and proceeds, were then stored at the New Millinium Car Wash and at a residence on Johns Avenue, both in Mansfield.Throughout the investigation, agents seized approximately 895 grams of cocaine, 127 oxycodone pills, and 50 grams of cocaine base (crack), as well as 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, 1,980 pressed fentanyl tablets, and 120 grams of powdered fentanyl. Agents also seized cash proceeds totaling more than $61,832 and numerous illegally possessed firearms during the investigation.Individuals were apprehended in a series of coordinated arrests. One defendant, Carl Henderson, 56, of Los Angeles, California, remains at large.A federal grand jury returned an 18-count indictment charging the following individuals with Conspiracy to Distribute and Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Cocaine Base (Crack), and Oxycodone:Calvin Caldwell, aka Petey, 67, of Mansfield, OhioCarl Henderson, 56, of Los Angeles, CaliforniaDamell Owens, 48, of Cleveland, OhioLeon Moses, aka Lee, 47, of Toledo, Ohio Phillip Douglas Jr., 44, of Fraser, MichiganRobert Wade, aka Hollywood, 53, of Mansfield, OhioNashone Howard, aka Black, 53, of Mansfield, OhioEdward Brooks, 67, of Ontario, OhioJoann Robertson, 73, of Mansfield, OhioEffie James, 69, of Mansfield, OhioJaynell Thornton, 67, of Mansfield, OhioTimothy Moyer, 67, of Mansfield, OhioPaul Baumer, 59, of Mansfield, OhioDreama Henderson, 42, of Mansfield, OhioDavid George, 55, of Mansfield, Ohio, Toni Crawford, 66, of Mansfield, OhioCaldwell was additionally charged with:Distribution of OxycodonePossession with Intent to Distribute OxycodonePossession with Intent to Distribute CocaineFelon in Possession of Ammunition; prior convictions include Aggravated Trafficking in 1995, Possession of Drugs in 2004, Distribution of Cocaine Base in 2008, and Trafficking in Cocaine in 2014Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking CrimeDistribution of Cocaine Base (Crack)Distribution of OxycodoneMaintenance of Drug PremisesOwens was additionally charged with:Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, and CocaineFelon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; prior convictions include Felonious Assault in 2004, and Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and Distribution of Cocaine and Cocaine Base in 2013Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking CrimeHoward was additionally charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm; prior convictions include Aggravated Battery/Great Bodily Harm in 1991; Possession of Controlled Substances and Manufacture/Deliver Controlled Substances in 1994.The announcement was made by United States Attorney David Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio, Special Agent in Charge Joshua Del Manzo of the FBI Cleveland Division, and Mansfield Police Chief Jason Bammann.This case was investigated by the FBI Mansfield Resident Agency and the Metro-Richland County (METRICH) enforcement unit with assistance from the Mansfield Police Department, Richland County Sheriff Department, and the Marion County Drug Task Force (MARMET). The U.S.
Marshals Service and Wyandot County Sheriff Office assisted with the arrests. The Richland County Prosecutors office provided valuable legal support throughout the investigation. The prosecution is being led by Assistant United States Attorney Vasile Katsaros for the Northern District of Ohio.An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.