Rafael Smith, Methamphetamine Distribution, Ohio 2023

A massive methamphetamine distribution ring has been busted in Ohio, with four individuals facing federal charges.

Rafael Smith, 47, of Covington, Virginia, Robert Coore, 46, a Jamaican national, Shuree Jefferson, 41, of Garfield Heights, and Jeffrey Westmoreland, 30, of Rock Creek, have been indicted on nine counts related to the conspiracy to distribute 16 pounds of methamphetamine.

The indictment charges the defendants with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, as well as additional charges of possession or distribution of methamphetamine. Coore is also charged with illegal reentry, as he was in the United States on March 20, 2019, after having been deported to Jamaica on January 25, 2018.

According to court documents, Coore and Smith met numerous times in March and April 2019 with an undercover agent at locations in Beachwood, Independence, Brooklyn, Cleveland, and elsewhere to sell large amounts of methamphetamine. Coore stated he traveled to California to arrange for bulk shipments of drugs to the Cleveland area.

Coore and Smith requested the undercover agent's help in locating a warehouse with a loading dock and town motor capable of offloading a tractor trailer upon arrival in Northeast Ohio. Coore was arrested on April 23 with four pounds of methamphetamine. A search of a residence in Aurora resulted in the arrest of Smith, and seizure of approximately three pounds of methamphetamine.

Prosecutors are seeking to forfeit nearly $48,000 in cash seized as part of the investigation.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Cleveland Division of Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Sweeney.

If convicted, the defendants' sentences will be determined by the Court after review of 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.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/four-people-indicted-their-roles-conspiracy-distribute-16-pounds-methamphetamine