The defendants also possessed and distributed heroin and methamphetamine, according to the indictment unsealed Wednesday.
The 14 people were originally charged on Nov. 15 in a criminal complaint, and 13 of the defendants have been arrested and will appear in federal court in Cincinnati. Sterling Parish, 36, of Cincinnati, is a fugitive with an outstanding arrest warrant. Any tips or information on the location of Parish, who is also known as “Sterl,” should be sent to FBI Cincinnati at 513-421-4310.
According to the affidavit, Steffen Roberson, 40, of Cincinnati, and is also known as “Worm,” was running one of the largest heroin and fentanyl drug trafficking organizations in the greater Cincinnati area. The drug trafficking organization is also alleged to have distributed narcotics in Akron and Fairfield in Ohio, and Gary, Indiana.
Authorities say the group was also known to obtain drugs from several supply sources, including in Atlanta and Baltimore. Roberson would allegedly purchase distributable amounts of opioids for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.
Roberson’s brother, Anthony Roberson, 44, of Cincinnati also known as “Don” and the “Chemist,” allegedly manufactured heroin and fentanyl mixtures by cutting the narcotics with fillers and looking for ways to make the drug mixtures more potent, according to federal investigators.
More than 30 state and federal search warrants have been executed since 2018 on residences of the 14 co-conspirators. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says large quantities of fentanyl and loaded firearms have been routinely recovered.
In all, approximately $150,000 in cash, 10 kilograms of fentanyl, multiple vehicles, and 28 firearms have been seized by law enforcement related to the investigation.
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Cincinnati Police Department announced the charges Wednesday and commended several area law enforcement agencies, including the Middletown Division of Police, Warren County Drug Task Force, and the Butler County Undercover Regional Narcotics Unit, that assisted in the investigation.
14 CHARGED IN NARCOTICS CONSPIRACY
The following are the 14 co-conspirators in what federal authorities called one of the largest heroin and fentanyl drug trafficking organizations in the greater Cincinnati area. All but one, as of Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, have been taken into custody.
- Steffen Roberson, 40, of Cincinnati
- Anthony Roberson, 44 of Cincinnati
- Devon Price, 36, of Atlanta
- Quinton Jennings, 39, of Cincinnati
- David Hamler, 31, of Maineville
- Gregory Donaldson, Jr., 32, of Cincinnati
- Donald Fairbanks III, 33, of Middletown
- Roderick Smith, 46, of Cincinnati
- Rashawn Zanders, 35, of Cincinnati
- Sterling Parish, 36, of Cincinnati (still at-large)
- Jerome Newton, Jr., 29, of Cincinnati
- Jimmy Daniel III, 32, of Cincinnati
- Alton Beacher, 42, of Cincinnati
- Juan Marcano, 47, of New York City
SOURCE: U.S. Attorney’s Office
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