Twenty people indicted for their roles in a conspiracy to obtain large amounts of heroin, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and sell the drugs to customers on the west side of Cleveland

Twenty people were indicted in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to obtain large amounts of heroin, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues and sell the drugs to customers on the west side of Cleveland.

Named in the 27-count indictment are: Alquin Wells, 37, of Sheffield Lake; Ronelle Davis, 28, of Sheffield Lake; Malcolm Collins, 46; Travon Gales, 24, of Maple Heights; Ronnie Edgell, 54; Lashaun Moncrief, 36; Matthew Kucera, 46; Amber Moore, 35, of Parma; Gloria Hrdy, 29; Patricia Truman, 28; Molly Medlik, 24; Cody Ray Lee, 25; Lisa Goforth, 27; Shaunna Collier, 23; Virginia May, 37; Tamie Seitz, 49; John Dickson, 39, of Brunswick; Elizabeth Gallagher, 30; Bobbi Boylan, 34, and Imani Nicholson, 23, of Sheffield Village. All are from Cleveland unless otherwise noted.

All 20 are indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues.

Goforth and Boylan are charged with distribution of heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil and acetylfentanyl with a potential sentencing enhancing for selling drugs that resulted in serious bodily injury on March 1.

Gales, Wells and Collins also were indicted for firearms crimes. Davis and Nicholson were indicted for conspiracy to launder money.

An additional defendant, DeMarco Clayton, 24, of Sheffield Lake, faces firearms and drug charges for allegedly having heroin, a revolver and ammunition on April 3. Clayton is forbidden from having firearms or ammunition because of numerous previous convictions, according to the indictment.

According to the indictment:

Wells and Davis obtained ounce quantities of heroin, fentanyl and fentanyl analogues, which they sold to other dealers and customers in Cleveland. Specifically, Wells and Davis sold drugs to Collins, Gales and Moncrief.

Wells, Davis, Collins and Gales also sold heroin and fentanyl to Edgell, Kucera, Moore, Hrdy, Truman, Medlik, Lee, Goforth, Collier, May, Seitz, Dickson and Gallagher, who sold the heroin and fentanyl to others.

Wells, Gales and others carried firearms to protect themselves, their drugs and their drug proceeds. Wells and Davis used Davis’ residence in Sheffield Lake to store the drugs, process the heroin and fentanyl and store the profits of their drug sales, according to the indictment.

The conspiracy took place between September 2017 and April 2019, according to the indictment.

Wells was shot three times during a suspected home invasion on November 10, 2017. Two unidentified males took Wells’ gold Range Rover. The vehicle was later found burned on East 32nd Street in Cleveland, according to the indictment.

The indictment details numerous occasions when Wells met customers in the parking lots of fast food restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations and other stores to make hand-to-hand drug transactions.

Boylan and Goforth on March 1 sold a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, carfentanil and acetylfentanyl to someone identified as T.M., which caused T.M. to overdose and suffer serious bodily injury, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors are seeking to seize six firearms and more than $44,000 seized as part of the investigation.

“This group is accused of selling deadly drugs, illegally carrying firearms, laundering their drug profits and contributing to this scourge that has killed thousands of Ohioans,” U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric B. Smith said: “This group of individuals brought deadly drugs, firearms and danger to the public. Law enforcement's collaborative efforts have thwarted their criminal behavior for a safer community.”

“The collaborative efforts of the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force have once again resulted in taking criminal activity off of the streets of our communities,” said Cleveland Police Chief Calvin D. Williams. “We hope that these arrests indictments serve as a warning to those intending to participate in future illegal activities.”

“Today’s indictment demonstrate that IRS agents will continue to follow the money trail to disrupt the flow of ill-gotten gains that are the lifeblood of criminal enterprises,” said William Cheung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations.

Lakewood Police Chief Tim Malley said: “The Lakewood Police Department values its participation in the Northeast Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force. Working with our partners from federal, state and other local agencies is a requirement to shut down these drug networks that have no jurisdictional boundaries.  We are committed on the law enforcement end to stopping the delivery of these deadly drugs to our communities.”

“Opioid-abuse is a public health crisis severely impacting our nation’s veterans” said Special Agent in Charge Gregg Hirstein, Department Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General. “We will investigate and seek prosecution against anyone illegally purveying these deadly products.”

If convicted, the defendants’ sentences will be determined by the Court after review of the factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal records, their roles in the offense and the characteristics of the criminal conduct. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Sweeney following an investigation by the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force. The NOLETF is a task force comprised of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cleveland Division of Police, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Customs and Border Patrol, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Ohio Adult Parole Authority and the police departments of Euclid, Lakewood, the Regional Transit Authority, Westlake and Moreland Hills. The NOLETF is also one of the initial Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area initiatives, which supports and helps coordinate numerous Ohio drug task forces in their efforts to eliminate or reduce drug trafficking in Ohio.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  The OCDETF Program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking, money laundering and violent criminal organizations operating domestically and internationally.  The principle mission of the OCDETF Program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, money laundering and violent criminal organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.