Seventeen People Indicted For Conspiracy That Brought Cocaine, Heroin And Marijuana To Youngstown, Akron And Columbus

A grand jury returned a 57-count indictment charging 17 people for their roles in a conspiracy that distributed cocaine, heroin and marijuana on the streets of Youngstown, Akron and Columbus, law enforcement officials announced.

Terrance A. Tarver obtained cocaine and marijuana from individuals in Columbus for distribution in Youngstown, Akron and Columbus. Tarver also obtained heroin from sources in Youngtown and Akron for distribution in Youngstown and Akron, according to the indictment.

Tarver was one of 10 people named in a federal indictment filed in April 2012. He has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

This indictment details a distribution network of people who obtained drugs from Tarver and then sold them throughout Northeast Ohio.

Count 1 charges all 17 people listed below with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, heroin and marijuana:

Defendant	Residence	Age
Benjamin J. Phillips	Cheraw, South Carolina	36
Youngstown, Ohio	41
Ronald O. Clark	Youngstown, Ohio	47
Phillip D. Whitman	Youngstown, Ohio	37
Gerard B. Balbirsingh	Farrell, Pennsylvania	45
Edward Odem, III	Sharon, Pennsylvania	34
Darryl C. Pippin	Youngstown, Ohio	43
Abdul W. Muhammad, aka Wally	Youngstown, Ohio	41
Clifton T. Hudson	Youngstown, Ohio	40
Dwayne A. Oliver	Youngstown, Ohio	42
Antjuan A. Adkins	Akron, Ohio	37
Edthaniel L. Tarver, aka Lamont	Youngstown, Ohio	37
Anthony J. Walker, aka Prem	Tempe, Arizona	36
Dontae R. Lackey	Columbus, Ohio	35
Quay L. Watkins	Akron, Ohio	35
Brandon M. Williams	Youngstown, Ohio	20
Patrick D. McWhorter	Youngstown, Ohio	21

“This group represents another layer of people who sold drugs throughout the region,” said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “They profited from other people’s addictions.”

“The individuals arrested this morning represent the second tier of this cocaine, heroin, and marijuana trafficking organization” said Stephen D Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland office.  “As evidenced by this continuing investigation, the FBI will work with our law enforcement partners to target and eliminate the most significant threats to our communities.”

Lt. Jeff Solic, who leads the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, said: “These types of cases and arrests are only possible because of the tremendous cooperation between local, state and federal law enforcement.”

Counts 2-4 of the indictment charge defendants Benjamin J. Phillips, Abdul W. Muhammad, aka Wally, Brandon M. Williams and Patrick D. McWhorter with maintaining a premises for the purposes of distributing and using controlled substances.  Counts 5-57 of the indictment charge the defendants with using a telephone to facilitate drug trafficking.   

The investigation was conducted under the U.S. Attorney’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) which is part of a national program that seeks to identify, investigate and prosecute significant drug trafficking enterprises by utilizing multiple investigative and prosecution resources.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal records, if any, the defendants’ roles in the offenses 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.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy L. Kelley and Linda H. Barr.

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.