Cleveland Reporter

Federal, state, and local law enforcement have charged 15 individuals in connection with a drug trafficking operation based in Lorain County, Ohio. The group is accused of distributing fentanyl disguised as prescription pills across Elyria, Lorain, and surrounding areas. This development was announced by United States Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko alongside DEA Special Agent in Charge Orville Greene, FBI Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen, and Lorain Police Department Chief James P. McCann.

The investigation spanned over a year and a half, resulting in coordinated arrests and the seizure of large quantities of fentanyl pills designed to resemble legitimate medications. Cash and illegally possessed firearms were also discovered during the operation.

“Given its extreme potency, fentanyl is extraordinarily dangerous—it has poisoned and killed over 3,500 Ohioans in 2023 alone," stated United States Attorney Lutzko. "Distributing it disguised as legitimate prescription medication...is particularly condemnable because it heightens the overdose danger for those who ingest it.” She praised the cooperation among law enforcement agencies that led to this disruption.

Those charged include Ronald Whittaker from Cleveland; Tyvez McCullum from Elyria; Ivan Barrios from Lorain; Tavon Martin from Lorain; Jaivon Wint from Lorain; Katlynn Caudill from Lorain; Nicholas Thomson from Elyria; Max Kennedy from Wellington; Jordan Johnson from Elyria; Angela Shuck from Lorain; Stacey Thomson from Elyria; Tyrone Phillips from Elyria; Joseph Kushner from Berea; Nicholas Burkholder from Elyria; and Aubrey Brown from Elyria.

The indictment alleges that between May 2023 and October 2024, these individuals conspired to distribute fentanyl. McCullum and Whittaker are said to have led the conspiracy by redistributing pills received from Whittaker through their networks.

“We will continue leveraging every available resource to disrupt...Drug Trafficking Organizations spreading deadly poisons in Ohio,” remarked DEA Special Agent Greene. FBI Special Agent Nelsen added that illegal drugs are “devastating lives” across northern Ohio.

An indictment serves as a charge but not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial where the government must prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Sentences will be determined by the court considering various factors unique to each case.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers using a multi-agency approach.

The investigation involved multiple agencies including the DEA, FBI Cleveland Division, HSI, City of Lorain Police Department, City of Elyria Police Department, among others. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert F. Corts and Paul Hanna are prosecuting the case for the Northern District of Ohio.