Drug raid, arrests result of 4-week investigation

MARION – MARMET Drug Task Force officers reported their largest drug seizure of the year when they searched a house late Wednesday night at 262 1/2 N. State St., Marion Police Department Maj. Jay McDonald said.

MARMET, with assistance of the Marion Police Department Special Response Team, Marion County Sheriff's Office and Marion police, reported the seizure of drugs with an estimated street value of $40,000, including 149.9 grams of heroin, 46.8 grams of cocaine, 8.2 grams of marijuana, 15 additional bindles of cocaine, $1,362 in cash, various items of drug paraphernalia and a loaded .25-caliber Colt handgun that was reported stolen.

During the raid at 11:27 p.m., officers arrested five men in the house: Manuel Allen, 31, 262 1/2 N. State St.; Christopher Sankey, 28, 279 S. Grand Ave.; Alvin Johnson, 28, Chicago; Durrain Land, 25, Chicago; and Anthony Riley, 41, 317 James Way.

The house was the target of a roughly monthlong investigation, McDonald said.

He said the raid "stopped a significant drug trafficking organization. ... The amount of drugs and other evidence in the house indicates this has been a large-scale drug trafficking organization. It's not a guy with a crack rock. All evidence points to a large-scale drug trafficking organization."

"Possession of 50 grams of heroin is (a second-degree felony)," McDonald said. "The totals I gave you were cumulative. Different guys had different amounts, so they'll all be charged accordingly."

All five were in custody at the Multi-County Correctional Center, with bonds to be set at their arraignments in Marion Municipal Court. He said each case would be taken either directly to a grand jury to be considered for indictment or scheduled for a preliminary hearing in municipal court.

Prosecutor Brent Yager said he anticipated formal charges will be filed Friday morning, with the men's bond hearings to follow. They likely will receive preliminary hearings in municipal court.

When officers entered the house, Allen and Land went out a second-floor window onto the roof of a back porch, McDonald said. Land re-entered the house, while Allen remained on the roof where Special Response Team members apprehended him. Officers arrested the others inside the residence.

McDonald said he is "very proud of the work that these detectives have done on this case so far. ... It ended up being a safe operation. Nobody got hurt, and that's really the main goal."

MARMET works as one of several drug task forces under the METRICH Enforcement Unit, which covers 10 counties in north central Ohio.

jjarvis@marionstar.com

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Twitter: @jmwjarvis