14 arrested on 43 drug-related charges

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

DELPHOS – A three-county drug operation netted 14 suspected drug dealers charged with a total of 43 separate drug-related offenses. The drug operation, conducted by the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force (WCOCTF), involved law enforcement agencies in Allen, Putnam and Van Wert counties and used the Delphos Wastewater Treatment Plant as its base of operations on Friday.

As suspects were arrested, they were brought to the plant for processing and transportation to one of the three county jails. Suspects were housed in the plant’s former tool crib while waiting for transport.

“The purpose of this coordinated effort was to assist the Delphos Police Department in the ‘simultaneous’ arrest of 14 Delphos area residents,” said Delphos Police Chief Kyle Fittro, whose department provided logistical support during Friday’s drug operation.

Those arrested include the following: Phillip L. Cross, two counts of trafficking in marijuana; Chad H. Elling, 26, three counts of trafficking in heroin; Vanessa J. Wallen, 24, one count each of trafficking in heroin and permitting drug abuse; Erica M. Frost, 24, two counts of trafficking in heroin; Nathaniel L. Diltz, 28, one count of trafficking in counterfeit heroin; Kristina L. Diltz, one count of trafficking in a Schedule 2 controlled substance; Steven J. Diltz, 27, one count each of trafficking in heroin and trafficking in a Schedule 2 controlled substance; Keri L. Hines, 28, two counts of trafficking in marijuana; Regina S. Banbury, 55, two counts each of trafficking in a Schedule 4 controlled substance and permitting drug abuse; Andrew J. Dinkins, 23, three counts of trafficking in heroin; Chad M. Neuman, 27, five counts of trafficking in heroin and one count of possession of heroin; Korey D. Briggs, 27, six counts of trafficking in heroin and one count of possession of heroin; Austin J. Samons, 19, two counts of trafficking in marijuana; and Mark W. Dempsey, 45, three counts each of trafficking in a Schedule 3 controlled substance and permitting drug abuse (click here for photos of the suspects).

Chief Fittro said that, for a number of the 14 suspects, this is not the first time they have been arrested.

“Many of these individuals have extensive criminal records,” he noted. “We anticipate that this round of arrests will help to alleviate much criminal activity within the City of Delphos … due to the fact that many of these individuals will likely be sent to prison because of their extensive felony histories.”

Since May 2010, the WCOCTF and Delphos police have arrested 38 Delphos drug trafficking suspects on 113 separate charges, Chief Fittro noted in a news release, adding that officers will continue to investigate drug-related offenses in Delphos in an effort to reduce drug-related offenses, as well as the “spin-off” crime (burglary, theft, breaking and entering, etc.) it generates.

Chief Fittro said large drug operations such as Friday’s provide a number of advantages to law enforcement agencies, including helping to protect confidential informants and keeping those arrested from tipping off those who haven’t been arrested yet.

Although heroin is probably the most prolific drug at the moment, WCOCTF officers noted that marijuana, crack cocaine and pharmaceutical drugs are also being sold, as well as a recent increase in methamphetamine, largely in Allen County.

Chief Fittro noted there were officers from four or five different agencies in the tri-county area involved in Friday’s operation, including Assistant Van Wert County Prosecutor Martin Burchfield. Burchfield said six of the 14 suspects were involved in Van Wert County drug sales, and added that one of the six was already in jail on an unrelated charge, making him easy to serve with the current indictments.

The Delphos police chief said the big difference in this drug bust, compared to a big operation in 2010, is that the current drug operation is almost entirely centered on the sale of heroin and other opiates.

“What we’ve seen is that the influx of heroin and opiate-based pharmaceuticals have really taken over,” he noted.

Moreover, while those arrested aren’t all important local drug dealers, Chief Fittro said it’s valuable to get all drug traffickers off the streets.

“Are they big dealers by New York standards, certainly not, but in the city of Delphos, which is my little area to take care of, they are,” Chief Fittro said. “Taking them out of the equation will be very beneficial to Delphos.”

The Delphos police chief also noted that the current arrests would also help cut down on other “street crime” in the city.

“The thefts, the assaults, those are all symptoms of the underlying disease, drug and alcohol abuse,” Chief Fittro said, adding that probably 75 percent of Delphos crime is related to its substance abuse problems.

He also noted that the task force, which is comprised of officers from the Allen County and Van Wert County sheriff’s departments, Lima, Delphos and Shawnee Township police departments and several state and federal agencies, would continue to conduct similar operations in an attempt to decrease drug trafficking in the area. The task force also works closely with other agencies in Allen, Van Wert and Putnam counties to combat drugs and major crimes and involves prosecutor’s office in Allen and Van Wert counties.