Miami Valley task force helps net fentanyl, $500,000

The Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force aided in an investigation that landed more than $500,000 and fentanyl.

Derrick Ferris, 44, of Cincinnati, and Jose Antonio Garcia, 22, of Lynwood, California, were arrested and both have been charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office said.

“Authorities arrested Ferris and Garcia after gathering evidence indicating they were allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking. As part of the investigation, agents executed a series of search warrants in the Cincinnati area,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement.

The Southwestern Ohio Bulk Smuggling-Major Drug Interdiction Task Force also played a role in the arrests.

The Miami Valley Bulk Smuggling Task Force is made up of officers from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Miami Township Police Department, Butler Township Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.

“Drug traffickers aren’t staying at home during the pandemic – they are out actively working to smuggle deadly drugs into our communities,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a statement. “This interdiction shows the relentless perseverance our task forces and law enforcement partners have to keep these drugs off our streets.”

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