Athens County Prosecutor Keller Blackburn is touting the arrest of a "major drug kingpin" Friday as the result of the largest narcotics investigation in county history.
Former Detroit Police officer Brandon Jorge Allen, also known as Mike Smith, Rico, Mary Smith, Aaron Rodrico and Mike Sheets, was arrested Friday at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport on a felony complaint for engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity based on his leadership in the drug ring that has been supplying Athens County, Ohio.
The news release states that the arrest is the result of a major investigation initiated by the Athens County Prosecutor’s Office following drug roundups in Glouster, Ohio over the past several months.
The investigation has led officials to Michigan and ultimately to Atlanta, Georgia.
The arrest occurred after Blackburn's detectives learned Allen was going to leave the country, according to the release. Blackburn then directly worked with the U.S. Attorney's Office, Homeland Security and U.S. Customs to flag Allen's passport and have him arrested at the airport.
“We are going to go at this problem at the source,” said Athens County Prosecuting Attorney Keller Blackburn. “Anyone who decides to distribute drugs in Athens County, whether or not you’ve ever been here, will face the full power and authority of my office and the State of Ohio.”
A total of 12 indictments were filed on Friday afternoon by Athens County Common Pleas Court, charging Allen with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, 10 counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs and one count of aggravated possession of drugs.
According to the indictment, members of the ring traveled to Michigan as well as parts of Ohio to purchase Oxycodone from Allen.
The pills were then taken back to Athens County where they were distributed to other members of the enterprise who then sold them in Athens County.
Allen and his distributors, according the indictment, delivered the drugs in Athens County.
Derek James Gyure, 26, was the leader of the enterprise centralized in Glouster.
Around January 2011 and continuing through May 2014, he used Bert C. Sharrer’s, 46, of Jacksonville, wife’s vehicle to travel to “Detroit, Michigan and/or Toledo, Ohio” to purchase large amounts of Oxycodone 30 milligram pills from Allen. The indictment states that some purchases were for more than 2000 Oxycodone 30 milligram pills.
The indictment alleges that Gyure not only distributed Oxycodone pills in Athens County on multiple occasions, but also provided “grow lights” to Charles "Chuck" Wachenschwanz, 46, to be used in the illegal cultivation of marijuana at his house.
When he was arrested, Gyure tampered with evidence and has since threatened to cause John Casey Metcalf, 22, of Glouster, who is also accused of selling oxycodone and attempting to recruit others to sell pills, serious bodily harm if he cooperates with the State of Ohio.
After Gyure's arrest, Kendra Rania Sharrer, 22, daughter of Bert C. Sharrer took the lead of the organization and concealed the ledger book of the enterprise, according to the indictment.
Blackburn is in Detroit, as of press time, with staff from his office to help execute a search warrant on Allen’s residence, states the release.
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