Key points in Tuesday’s coordinated raid on six homes by local and federal law enforcement agencies, part of a year-long investigation into heroin trafficking in the city:
- Several adults were taken into custody and questioned
- The case is focused on heroin laced with the synthetic opiate fentanyl
- Fentanyl-laced heroin has led to several fatal overdoses in the area
- Police say the operation was a distribution hub for the city
- The investigation is ongoing, Dayton police say
UPDATE @ 5:52 p.m.: The FBI, Dayton police, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives coordinated in the raid that included homes on North Marion Street, Lorenz Avenue, Alcott Drive, Anthem Court and two on North Ardmore Avenue.
Search warrants were executed at the properties and law enforcement officers removed drug trafficking materials and paraphernalia as well as firearms. Several dogs were removed for officers’ safety, and one was shot to death by an FBI SWAT team member after it charged him, Dayton police Lt. James Mullins said.
Several adults were taken into custody and questioned, and Mullins said it’s possible they will face federal charges.
The operation involved heroin laced with fentanyl — a synthetic opiate 100 times more powerful than heroin alone and that when combined with it, makes it far more likely users will have a lethal overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Since August, 87 overdose deaths in Montgomery County have been connected to heroin. Of those, 33 cases were tied to fentanyl-laced heroin, according to the coroner’s office.
“That’s the problem here, people are dying from this drug,” Mullins said. “And you add the fentanyl in there and it makes it that much stronger and people aren’t ready for it.”
Neighbor Arlene Harris said she had no idea the home next to the one she is helping fix up on North Ardmore Avenue was connected to heroin trafficking until she saw all the law enforcement vehicles pull up Tuesday morning.
“I had no clue. I hope everything turns out all right and a lot of people can sleep at night,” Harris said. “It’s a good thing, what they’re doing.”
Mullins said the drug operation was serving as a hub to distribute heroin across the city. He did not indicate where the drugs were coming from. The investigation is ongoing and more arrests and charges are expected in the coming weeks, police said.
UPDATE @1:05 p.m.: Six homes were raided after a year-long investigation regarding drug trafficking of heroin, said Dayton police Lt. James Mullins.
Several dogs were in one of the homes on Ardmore Avenue and one was shot and killed when it charged an FBI agent, Mullins said.
Several people have been taken into custody and federal drug charges could be filed. A large amount of heroin, scales, drug paraphernalia and guns were removed from the houses.
The heroin had a chemical in it that makes it stronger, but also makes it more lethal. The investigation continues, and more arrests are expected.
UPDATE @ noon: Few details about the investigation are being released, but WHIO's Jessica Heffner has learned the FBI is leading this multi-jurisdictional investigation with Dayton police and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
Heffner reports the investigation involves the search of four homes in Dayton — two on Ardmore Avenue, one on Lorenz Avenue and one on Marion Street.
Officers continued to work into the early afternoon removing items from a second home on Ardmore Avenue, down from the 100 block where an armored FBI vehicle was pulled into the front yard this morning.
At noon, two people were being detained in the back of a Dayton police cruiser. It’s unclear if they will be charged with any crimes.
UPDATE @ 10:56 a.m.: Three adult dogs and two puppies were removed from the home.
It’s unclear if the animals are directly related to the investigation or whether they were removed for their welfare.
FIRST REPORT
Ardmore Avenue is blocked this morning as a home is being searched by multiple law enforcement and county agencies.
The FBI is on scene with Dayton police and SWAT, as well as the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center.
We’re working to learn more and will provide updates as more information becomes available.
