Six charged in Linden-area drug, human trafficking ring, Ohio AG says
Bethany BrunerSix people are facing charges after an investigation into a Northeast Side drug trafficking ring that was also involved in human trafficking, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said.
The charges were filed on April 25 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
Yost's office said investigators determined that Timotheus Graham, 38, ran the criminal enterprise, using violence to coerce victims. Graham went by the street name "Blue."
According to court records, Graham faces 26 felony charges, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, trafficking in persons, trafficking in cocaine, trafficking fentanyl and money laundering.
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The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force led the investigation, which involved multiple search warrants. Law enforcement officers recovered drugs and at least five guns through those search warrants, according to police.
Yost's office said the enterprise operated in the Linden area and on the city's Northeast Side.
A Franklin County grand jury also indicted Jessica "Jay" Lyles, 33, on four felony charges, Deanna "Phatty" Mundy, 30, on eight felonies, Sandra Carroll, 59, on three felonies, Mynika Winters, 30, on two felonies and Roxy Porter, 35, on seven felony charges.
According to the indictments, on at least one occasion, Graham had more than 100 grams of cocaine, which qualifies under Ohio law as a "major drug offense." Should Graham be convicted on that charge, he faces a mandatory maximum prison sentence on that count.
Graham is currently being held in the Franklin County jail in lieu of a $1 million bond, according to court records. Lyles, Carroll and Winters are also being held in jail. Porter and Mundy have not yet been arrested.
Anyone with additional information on Porter or Mundy's whereabouts or information about the alleged activities of those charged should call the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation at 855-BCI-OHIO.