Nearly $500,000 in Cash and Drugs Seized in Lorain County Raids

According to police, the raids were conducted at the end of an investigation into a suspected cocaine distribution operation, which spanned several weeks. Authorities anticipated the raids would result in additional arrests.Two of the individuals arrested, 43-year-old Christopher Craig and 44-year-old Bernard Washington, allegedly transported cocaine into Lorain County from their hometown of Cleveland. The duo are accused of selling the drugs to a network of local dealers.
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Law enforcement officials also arrested 28 other people who were suspected of having some kind of involvement in the alleged cocaine ring. The additional individuals facing drug charges in connection with the case reside in either Elyria, Lorain or Sheffield Lake. All were booked at the Lorain County Jail and held on cash bonds.

The investigation began in February, after narcotics officers found out that 33-year-old Jarvis Burns of Sheffield Lake and Burns’ cousin, 32-year-old Travis Milton of Elyria, paid $43,000 for a supply of cocaine from Washington and Craig. Burns and Milton, in turn, reportedly sold the drugs by the ounce in Lorain County, according to police.

Authorities continued to monitor the movements of all four men over the next several weeks, and during that time investigators collected the names of possible drug distributors and dealers in the area. The majority of the drug activity police observed took place at the home of Grace Milton, 67, of Elyria. Grace Milton, who resides at Tattersal Court, is a grandmother to both Milton and Burns. Police arrested her and her two grandsons following the raids, and all three face a range of drug charges.

Police discovered that Burns would first purchase cocaine from Craig and Washington, and then sell it back to himself. From there, Burns offered the drugs for sale to local dealers.

Grace Milton’s residence was among the 12 homes raided by Sheffield Lake police officers and SWAT teams from Elyria, Lorain and the Lorain County Sheriff’s Department. In all, police seized 3.3 kilograms of cocaine, which carries a street value of about $400,000. Authorities also confiscated 97.9 grams of marijuana, 20 grams of heroin, 10 vehicles, five handguns and more than $84,000 in cash.

Police reported that the majority of those arrested in connection with the case were relatives to Milton and Burns. Many reside in Elyria, which is why the narcotics unit of the Elyria Police Department played a key role in the investigation, according to Elyria Police Capt. Chris Costantino. The narcotics unit was formerly combined with a community policing division up until May 2013. Since the department was restructured, Elyria police officers have made 435 arrests stemming from drug-related crimes. On the other hand, crimes that are often linked to drug activity, such as property crimes, have since seen a marked decline.

“This has an exponential impact in our community, because it gets drug dealers off the streets and gets drugs out of the hands of our youth,” said Elyria Mayor Holly Brinda.