The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced the unsealing of 17 federal indictments charging more than 30 people with weapons and illegal drug charges. Ten additional defendants will face state charges, according to the Department of Defense.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), with help from multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, oversaw the investigation and arrest of defendants in a series of coordinated arrests that ended this morning. One federal defendant remains at large.
The law enforcement operation lasted 60 days and focused on Akron’s most dangerous areas. During the inquiry, authorities seized 32 handguns, one revolver, six rifles, two suppressors, and machine gun conversion equipment. The illegal narcotics seized were 417.6 grams of powdered cocaine, 376 grams of cocaine base (crack), 94 grams of heroin, 4663.4 grams of methamphetamine, 443.5 kilos of marijuana, and 134.6 grams of fentanyl…