COLUMBUS, Ohio — Law enforcement task forces organized under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC) confiscated more than $92 million in illegal drugs in 2024, along with 560 firearms and $4.7 million in currency, according to Ohio Attorney General Yost.
“The number of illegal drugs and weapons taken off our streets this year is impressive thanks to our drug task forces, but the true measure of their success is the countless lives spared from overdoses and addiction,” Yost said. “I’m grateful to every sheriff and police chief, along with our federal partners, who fuel our efforts to thwart drug trafficking.”
OOCIC task forces have seized more than 288,000 prescription pills, 1,154 pounds of fentanyl, 1,994 pounds of cocaine and 2,334 firearms since 2019.
One notable drug seizure happened in Belmont County in October. On Oct. 2, agents from the Belmont, Jefferson, Harrison Major Drug Interdiction Task Force executed a search warrant in Belmont County that led to the arrest of three individuals and the seizure of two firearms, including a gun that was previously stolen. Agents also seized 222 grams of fentanyl, 135 grams of cocaine and 157 doses of Suboxone.
Another major bust happened in Jefferson County. On Oct. 15, the task force executed a series of search warrants in Jefferson County, with an emphasis on a storage building in Wintersville. Inside, investigators located cocaine, fentanyl, two firearms and currency. Also seized from the storage unit were three vehicles, including a Bentley, Audi and a three-wheeled motorcycle.
At a residence in Steubenville, five additional vehicles were seized along with three firearms. Investigators found cocaine and fentanyl inside one of the vehicles. In total, 6.22 kilograms of cocaine and 3.94 fentanyl were sized, along with $167,000.
The task force includes the sheriff’s offices of Belmont, Harrison and Jefferson counties, FBI, and the prosecutor’s offices of Belmont, Harrison and Jefferson counties.
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