CINCINNATI — A sprawling heroin ring has been ripped apart by federal prosecutors, with six Cincinnati men charged in a conspiracy to flood city neighborhoods with deadly narcotics between November 2017 and February 2018. The 20-count indictment, unsealed today, exposes a street-level network accused of conducting repeated drug transactions across the city, turning streets into poison zones.
Those named in the indictment include Calvin Tuck, also known as ‘Tank’; Mekil Gibson; Pierre Sneed, a.k.a. ‘Rico’; Cortez Tuck, known as ‘Nitty’; Daniel Williams, alias ‘C.J.’; and Jarod Whitehead, who goes by ‘Baby’. All six defendants are residents of Cincinnati and are currently in federal custody awaiting detention hearings scheduled for next week.
The charges detail 17 counts of distribution or attempted distribution of heroin — each representing a separate drug deal over the four-month conspiracy. Federal narcotics conspiracy and distribution of controlled substances carry a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison per count. In Tuck’s case, the stakes are higher: he faces additional charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession with intent to distribute, stacking potential sentences of 5 to 40 years for drug crimes and up to 10 years for the gun charge.
The joint takedown was announced by Benjamin C. Glassman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Cincinnati office; Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac; and City Solicitor Paula Boggs Muething. The collaboration underscores the federal-city crackdown on hard drugs fueling the city’s overdose crisis.
Prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy L. Muncy and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Brucato of the City Solicitor’s Office. U.S. Attorney Glassman praised the relentless work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Cincinnati Division of Police, whose investigative efforts led to the indictment.
An indictment is not a conviction. All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. The case now moves toward preliminary hearings, where evidence will be weighed and bail argued under the cold light of federal justice.
RELATED: 19-Year-Old Pleads Guilty to Robbery Series in Charlottesville
RELATED: Longview Septic Tank Owner Sentenced for Illegal Dumping
Related Federal Cases
- Josue Morales-Medina Gets 108 Months for Fentanyl-Heroin Ring · Ohio
- Sandusky Man Charged in Major Heroin, Cocaine Trafficking Ring · Ohio
- Ohio Woman Amanda Elaine Wright Sentenced in Heroin Ring · West Virginia
- Wheeling Island Woman Indicted in Heroin, Coke Ring · West Virginia
- Canadian Men Indicted in Global Dark Net Drug Ring · Ohio
Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking