43 people indicted in Major Drug Bust in Mansfield

Forty-three people were indicted in federal court for their roles in two separate conspiracies to sell large amounts of drugs in the Mansfield area.

Twenty-three people were charged in a 42-count indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana, and other charges. They are: Noel Mott, 43; Donald Abrams, 59; Felicia McPherson, 37; Ivan Troup, 34; Devon Troup, 27; Deshawn Dowdell, 23; Markell Boyd, 39; Dennis Carter, 47; Marcus Caldwell, 40; Terrence Sudberry, 45; Robert Boone, 24; Kristopher Herron, 47; Jason Reid, 36; William Norris, 45; Rayshaun Walker, 25; Cynthia Huffman, 22; Tessa Christy, 36; Seth Wells, 23; Miranda Hamilton, 23; Ashlie Smith, 33; Megan Moritz, 30; Taryn Ohl, 32, and Mykel Smith, 25.

Twenty people were charged in a 61-count indictment with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine and methamphetamine, and other charges. They are: Juan Westberry, 38; Rashad Keith, 27; Lamar Johnson, 30; Torme Johnson, 30; Ryan Schroeder, 38; Kelly Adkins, 31; Marquis Allen, 26; Tevron Allen, 23; Anthony Balg, 38; Darryl Ballinger, 24; Kelly Burns, 30; Andrew Cotton, 32; Rory Hamm, 49; Phillip Moxley, 36; Amanda Pierce, 34; Santreas Sanks, 29; Derrick Snelling, 27; Kevin Thomas, 29, and Rachel Thompson, 34.

All of the defendants are from the Mansfield or the nearby area except for Donald Adams, Felicia McPherson and the Troups, who are all from Detroit.

Approximately 36 additional people were charged with drug crimes in the Richland County Court of Common Pleas.

In the Mott indictment, the conspirators obtained heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone and marijuana from suppliers in Detroit and Mansfield, which they then sold in Mansfield. This took place between January 2016 through the present, according to the indictment.

Mott, Wells, Boone, Moritz, Hamilton and Smith traveled to Detroit to obtain large quantities of oxycodone, which they redistributed in Mansfield. Mott also obtained large quantities of heroin and fentanyl from Dowdell, Troup and others that he redistributed in in Mansfield. He also obtained fentanyl and worked with other dealers to redistribute the drugs in Mansfield, according to the indictment.

Mott is also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors are seeking for forfeit 14 firearms seized as part of the investigation, according to the indictment.

Huffman helped coordinate and secure Wells to serve as a driver for oxycodone resupply runs to Detroit, according to the indictment.

In the Westberry indictment, the defendants conspired together between 2015 and the present to obtain large amounts of heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine and methamphetamine to sell in the Mansfield area, according to the indictment.

Westberry obtained heroin, which he distributed to Keith, Lamar Johnson, Torme Johnson, Schroeder and Garrison, who in turn sold the heroin to other customers, according to the indictment.

Keith and Lamar Johnson obtained heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine and cocaine, which they then sold to other dealers, who distributed the drugs in the Mansfield area, according to the indictment.

Members of the conspiracy operated drug houses at locations on Rembrandt Street, Helen Avenue, Dunbilt Court, Bowman Street and West 3rd Street in Mansfield and Eckstein Road in Crestline for the purpose of storing and distributing the drugs, according to the indictment.

“These two groups sold a wide array of dangerous drugs in and around Mansfield, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine,” U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said. “These cases are a great example of law enforcement working together to arrest dangerous people and help make Mansfield a safer community.”

FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith said: “Collaborative law enforcement efforts have disrupted two significant drug trafficking organizations that were profiting from the addiction of our community members. The individuals arrested today brought danger and violence to our streets and they will now be held accountable for their criminal activity.”

“These are significant arrests of drug dealers who have been trafficking and dealing dangerous and deadly drugs to our citizens here in Richland County,” said Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon. “Again, I can’t say enough about how well federal, state and local law enforcement agencies work so well to together here in Richland County to accomplish great things.”

Mansfield Police Chief Ken Coontz said: “This major drug sweep is made possible because of the collaboration within our community, local law enforcement counterparts, FBI and DEA counterparts, Richland County prosecutors, U.S. Marshals and U.S. Attorney’s Office. We all share a common goal of making our community a safer place to live and work.”

"This multi-agency Title III investigation provided a glimpse into the dangerous underworld members of the Westberry organization have created for the Mansfield and the wider Richland County communities," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy Plancon. "Today's arrests signal an important step in our continuing fight to protect our neighborhoods from violent drug traffickers."

“These arrests will have a significant impact on the wellbeing of the Mansfield community,” said U.S. Marshal Peter Elliott. “The U.S. Marshals Service will continue to work with its federal, state and local partners on large scale operations such as this to keep our communities safe.”

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

These cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mansfield Police Department, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, METRICH Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals and Ohio State Highway Patrol. They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vasile Katsaros and Jason M. Katz.

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.