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Attorney General Mike DeWine
Eight Indicted
for Multi-County Drug Trafficking
Indictments Follow Seizure of More than $1 Million in Drugs
(ASHLAND, Ohio)— Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, Ashland County
Prosecutor Christopher Tunnell, Ashland County Sheriff E. Wayne Risner,
the Medina County Drug Task Force, and Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) announced today that eight individuals have been indicted in
connection with a drug trafficking organization operating in Ashland,
Medina, and Wayne counties.
Among the 116 total charges filed against the suspects, six individuals
are accused of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity relating to
the sale of heroin and cocaine, including heroin in pill form.
Prosecutors with the Ashland County Prosecutor's Office and Attorney
General DeWine's Special Prosecutions Section presented the case to an
Ashland County grand jury on Friday, and multiple arrests were made
today. The investigation was led by investigators with the Medina
County Drug Task Force, Ashland County Sheriff's Office, and DEA
operating as part of an Ohio Attorney General's Ohio Organized Crime
Investigations Commission (OOCIC) task force.
Richard Lawless
Authorities began investigating the case after receiving information
that the alleged ringleader of the operation, Richard Lawless, 48, of
Polk, was trafficking drugs in the tri-county area. Authorities served
multiple search warrants and conducted several controlled buys in
connection with the case, uncovering heroin, cocaine, prescription
drugs, and marijuana with a combined estimated street value of more
than $1 million. Authorities also seized cash, illegally-owned guns,
and items used to make heroin in pill form.
"Heroin abuse and addiction are at epidemic levels in Ohio and across
the country, and law enforcement from state, local, and federal
agencies are working hard to make sure traffickers don't get away with
pushing this deadly drug," said Attorney General DeWine. "The
fact that some members of this operation were not only selling heroin,
but also disguising it in the form of a pill is especially concerning."
"The investigation and resulting indictments in this case are an
excellent representation of the cooperation between various law
enforcement agencies to protect the public from what is clearly a
threat to our community," said Ashland County Prosecutor Christopher
Tunnell.
"Richard Lawless has been a menace to the area for a number of years,"
said Medina County Drug Task Force Commander Gary Hubbard. "The
collaboration between local, state and federal authorities was
paramount in the significant criminal charges that Richard Lawless and
his associates are facing."
"This is one of the most extensive drug investigations that I've been
involved with at the Ashland County Sheriff's Office, and the amount of
heroin and cocaine that this drug trafficking organization brought into
this area is unbelievable," said Ashland County Sheriff's Office Chief
Deputy Carl L. Richert II. "I am very proud to have worked with
local, state, and federal law enforcement to get Richard Lawless and
the group that runs with him off the streets."
“This is another example of the outstanding partnerships between
federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies and the
investigative work they can achieve together to derail the trafficking
of illegal narcotics and prescription drugs into our community,” said
DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Plancon.
In addition to Lawless, four of the suspects are currently in custody
including:
Michael Kouns, 26, Polk
Sarah Krupansky, 28, Polk
David Wertman, 18, Copley
James Diaz, 44, Sullivan
Copies of the indictments filed against the suspects listed above can
be found on the Ohio Attorney General's website.
In addition to drug charges, Lawless is also facing multiple counts of
felonious assault, aggravated burglary, and abduction relating to
crimes he allegedly committed prior to his arrest.
The Medina County Drug Task Force consists of agents employed directly
by Medina County, as well as officers from the Medina Police Department
and Wadsworth Police Department.
Additional agencies that assisted with the investigation include the
Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's Heroin Unit, Medina County
Sheriff's Office, Wayne County Sheriff's Office, MEDWAY Drug
Enforcement Agency, Medina County Prosecutor's Office, Wayne County
Prosecutor's Office, and U.S. Marshals Service.
Established in 1986, the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission
assists local law enforcement agencies in combating organized crime and
corrupt activities. The commission is comprised of members of the
law enforcement community and is chaired by the Ohio Attorney
General. In 2014, authorities working in OOCIC task forces
across the state seized more than $23 million worth of drugs and more
than $5 million in U.S. currency.
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