Last updated : December 23, 2024
Following a month-long investigation into a suspected family-run cocaine trafficking operation, Ohio police arrested 30 people in connection with the alleged drug distribution ring.
The police probe into the alleged cocaine distribution ring began in February and focused on members of the Burns, Tillman and Milton families. Many of the 30 people arrested and charged in the case reside in Elyria. The ages of the suspects range from 19 years old to 67 years of age.
Ohio State Highway Patrol statistics show that by that by March 23, 2014, drug violations accounted for 2,455 of the total incidents officers with the the OSHP handled up to that date. As of the same date this year, that figure has jumped to 2,834. In Lorain County, OSHP officers responded to 119 drug violations during the same time frame last year, compared to 192 drug-related incidents reported to-date this year.
According to the National Substance Abuse Index, both powdered and crack cocaine are considered the main drug-related threat in Ohio. This is because the abuse and distribution of this drug if often linked to the most violent crimes committed statewide. Cocaine is also the most common drug abused by individuals who are arrested in Ohio.
The NSAI further reports that heroin use is also on the rise in the Buckeye State, but that marijuana continues to top the list as the drug that is most abused by Ohio citizens, especially among those under 18 years old.
