CLEVELAND — Following a "wide-ranging," two-year investigation," 18 people have been charged and accused of participating in a Northern Ohio drug ring.
The investigation began in late 2020 and centered on 45-year-old Charles Daniels of Cleveland, who is accused of orchestrating the drug ring while serving an eight-year state prison sentence for drug trafficking. According to authorities, Davis is accused of organizing drug deals between drug dealers in Wayne County and suppliers in Cleveland through jail phone calls.
The drug suppliers in Cleveland have been identified as Deandre Wilson and Jason Johnson. Both have been indicted for their respective roles in the conspiracy.
Authorities say that the drug dealers proceeded to sell the drugs, including fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, to users and dealers in Wooster, effectively acting as a proxy for Daniels as he remained incarcerated.
Daniels' phone calls in the jail were monitored and undercover officers successfully purchased drugs from the dealers in question.
Fifteen of the 18 suspects are in custody and have either been arraigned or will be arraigned in the near future.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in an unrelated story regarding Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's 2023 State of the City Address.