Three people indicted in federal court for drug trafficking in Lorain County, the latest charges in a coordinated, cooperative law enforcement effort targeting opioid distribution there

Three people were indicted in federal court for drug trafficking in Lorain County, the latest charges in a coordinated, cooperative law enforcement effort targeting opioid distribution there.

Indicted are Doyal Cannon, 33, of Elyria, Aaron Matthews, 35, of Lorain, and Ramon Collins, 36, of Cleveland.

Cannon was indicted on charges of possession with the intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl and cocaine, as well as firearms charges. 

Cannon on June 13 had more than two grams of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin and seven grams of cocaine.

He also had a Glock .40-caliber handgun and ammunition, despite prior convictions that made it illegal for him to have a firearm, including cocaine trafficking, being a felon in possession of a firearm and other crimes. Cannon was on supervised release from a previous federal firearm conviction on June 13, according to court documents.  

Matthews was indicted on 11 counts related to the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, 3-Methylfentanyl and/or cocaine, as well as two firearms counts.

Matthews possessed a Kel-Tec 9 mm Luger pistol and ammunition on Dec. 13, 2017, in relation to his drug trafficking activities. It was also illegal for Matthews to have a firearm because of his prior drug and firearms convictions, according to court documents.

Collins was indicted on charges of distribution of fentanyl and distribution of heroin and fentanyl.

Collins on July 17 possessed nearly seven grams of femtanyl. Four days later, he possessed nearly 29 grams of a mixture of been heroin and fentanyl, according to court documents. 

“These indictments, along with our activities of the past month, should make it clear that Lorain County is closed for business when it comes to drug trafficking,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “Many of these defendants are dangerous because they illegally have firearms while selling opioids and other drugs that have caused so much death and destruction in our community. All of our law enforcement partners are working together to stem the flow of these drugs into our neighborhoods – if you sell opioids in Lorain County, you are facing federal prison time.”

Elyria Police Chief Duane Whitely said: “The Elyria Police Department is grateful for the outstanding working relationship we share with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.  Officers from our department investigated several drug complaints and were able to build a case and arrest several drug dealers.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office took the cases and received indictments on all of them. I look forward to working together to take many more drug dealers off the streets of Elyria.”

Operation S.O.S. was announced last month by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman. Since then, numerous individuals have been charged or indicted in federal court. Among them:

Kenneth Ward has been charged in a multiple count indictment with various drug distribution counts, including the sale of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine.

Christopher Robinson Jr.: has been indicted in a multiple count indictment with various drug distribution counts, including the sale of heroin and fentanyl.

Dennis A. Smith has been indicted on multiple counts of drug distribution, including the sale of heroin and fentanyl.

Ronald Johnson Jr. has been indicted for distributing heroin.

Dwayne Taylor has been charged with distribution of heroin and fentanyl.  At the time of Taylor’s arrest he possessed a firearm and ammunition.

Christopher D. Chapman has been indicted on charges of distribution of N-Methyl Norfentanyl  and cocaine.

Todd Colema has been charged with distribution of cocaine and fentanyl.

These cases are being prosecuted by the Elyria Police Department, DEA, Lorain County Drug Task Force, Lorain County HIDTA, Lorain Police Department and FBI. They are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert F. Corts and Vasile Katsaros.

If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing 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 violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.