MANSFIELD, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—Law enforcement authorities arrested multiple suspects and seized thousands of dollars in cash and narcotics during a targeted drug trafficking roundup in Mansfield earlier this week.
On Oct. 20, the METRICH Enforcement Unit, assisted by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF), launched an operation targeting 10 individuals indicted on various drug trafficking charges. Authorities stated the indictments stemmed from an extensive investigation into illicit drug activity across the Mansfield area.
According to Lt. Ryan Grimshaw of the METRICH Enforcement Unit, all 10 targets are connected to Lamar Johnson, Rashad Keith and Cy Ison, all three of whom are currently incarcerated at the Richland County Jail on drug-related charges.
Johnson and Keith were arrested in August on drug possession and complicity offenses following an investigation that yielded approximately two kilograms of cocaine. In September, METRICH investigators seized $84,510 in U.S. currency linked to Ison’s suspected drug trafficking operations.
During Tuesday’s roundup, NOVFTF members arrested Ryan Boyd at a residence at 86 Dawson Ave. in Mansfield. While taking Boyd into custody, officers observed evidence of drug trafficking in plain view. METRICH investigators subsequently obtained and executed a search warrant at the home, seizing crack cocaine, crack cocaine manufacturing materials, a currency-counting machine and $14,327 in cash.
Two suspects from the operation remain at large: Andrea Collier and Antonio Hobbs. Authorities are encouraging both individuals to surrender to law enforcement.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Collier or Hobbs is asked to contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force or report tips to the METRICH crime hotline at 419-522-7463 or online at METRICH.com.
