DAYTON, OHIO – In a devastating blow to the opioid epidemic, a Dayton man has been sentenced to prison for his role in distributing large quantities of fentanyl and heroin in the Dayton area.
James Easterling, 36, was sentenced to 60 months in prison after pleading guilty to selling opioids as part of an Atlanta-to-Dayton drug trafficking organization known as the “Diamond Cut”.
According to his plea agreement, on June 13, 2019, Easterling sold approximately 112 grams of fentanyl and heroin in Montgomery County in exchange for several thousand dollars in cash.
The investigation into the Diamond Cut organization began in February 2019, when investigators received information about the group distributing drugs from the Saint Clair Lofts located on South Saint Clair Street in Dayton.
Co-conspirators were allegedly keeping large amounts of fentanyl, heroin, and several firearms in an abandoned green Ford sedan in the parking lot behind the Lofts.
As the investigation continued, authorities discovered that the co-conspirators had moved their drug operations to North Upland Avenue in March 2019 and maintained drug stash houses on Homesite Drive in Harrison Township and Kipling Drive and Belmont Park North in Dayton.
This is not the first time the Diamond Cut organization has been targeted by law enforcement. In 2018, three other associates were sentenced in federal court in Dayton for drug and gun crimes. Clarence Winn, Jr. – a Dayton rap artist known as “Chaos” – was sentenced to 108 months in prison. His relative, Larry Winn, was sentenced to 60 months in prison. Darrius J. Reynolds was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Another five alleged Diamond Cut members were prosecuted federally after a 2012 arrest. They included: Brandon Lee “Ace” Smith, Quinton “Big Mike” Clemons, Leo “Butter” Boykins, Quinten “Q” Robinson, and Marcus “Roscoe” Ross.
U.S. Attorney David M. DeVillers, FBI Special Agent in Charge Chris Hoffman, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Vance Callender, Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck, and officials with the FBI’s Southern Ohio Safe Streets Task Force and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office RANGE Task Force announced the sentence imposed by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Thomas M. Rose.
Assistant United States Attorneys Brent G. Tabacchi and Elizabeth Rabe represented the United States in this case.
As the opioid epidemic continues to ravage communities across the country, the sentencing of James Easterling serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of drug trafficking.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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