Butler County man sentenced for federal charges connected to killing of Dayton DEA officer Del Rio

DAYTON — A second Butler County man has been sentenced to prison for federal gun charges stemming from the investigation into the killing of Dayton police detective and Drug Enforcement Agency officer Jorge Del Rio in 2019.

Arland Mills, 43, of Trenton, was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday. Mills pleaded guilty in federal court in November 2020, admitting to obtaining multiple firearms as part of his scheme, according to a release from the Southern District of Ohio.

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“Decisions carry consequences, and here, the consequences of Mills’ illegal gun purchases and sales were dire,” Acting U.S. Attorney Vipal J. Patel said in the release.

Delano Wells, 50, of Trenton, purchased the firearms at a licensed firearms dealer in Middletown on Mills’ behalf.

Three of the guns bought by Mills from Wells were found inside the house on Ruskin Road in Dayton where Del Rio was shot while executing a search warrant on Nov. 4, 2019. Del Rio died on Nov. 7, 2019 from injuries sustained in the shooting.

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Wells was previously sentenced to six months of home detention and three years of supervised release.

Patel said Mills will forfeit the 28 firearms that were seized in the case and pay a $20,000 fine.

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