By Margie Wuebker
mwuebker@dailystandard.com Twelve people ranging in age from 19 to 57 were arrested Monday as the Grand Lake Task Force continued its assault on drug trafficking in Mercer County. Officials warn more arrests are likely in the future.
A Mercer County grand jury, meeting in regular session last week, indicted 13 local residents on a total of 51 drug-related offenses capping an investigation launched in June 2003. One local man remains at large although authorities have reason to believe he is in Kentucky.
Searches conducted at several locations turned up an unspecified amount of drugs, including 13 bottles of prescription medication. Authorities also removed a BB gun and a .22-caliber rifle from one location.
"We've had larger drug busts in the past but this one involves a lot of cocaine," Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey said.
Grey added the success of the latest drug bust shows what happens when all law enforcement agencies work together, from sharing information to rounding up culprits. Celina and Coldwater police joined the task force representatives and the sheriff's office in the operation that began with a 3 p.m. briefing. Grey added smaller departments like Rockford, St. Henry and Fort Recovery assisted by contributing information during the course of the investigation. The task force is a cooperative effort of sheriff's offices in Mercer and Auglaize County as well as Celina, Coldwater, New Bremen and Minster police departments.
Teams of officers left the briefing for locations in Coldwater and Celina armed with packets of information including photos of the suspects and their homes, known acquaintances, vehicles with license plate numbers and indictment paperwork. Radios crackled as teams reported they were en route back to the sheriff's office with prisoners. Twelve individuals were in custody by 9:30 p.m.
Danny Gates of Celina was among the first suspects to be arrested. Relatives quickly congregated at the Mill Street home with Gates' mother demanding to enter the mint green house. She stood on the sidewalk muttering after being warned any attempt to do so would result in her arrest. Gates' wife, Nicla R. Gates, and pregnant daughter, Amanda M. Gates, turned themselves in at the sheriff's office after learning what had transpired.
A father and son -- Charles W. Irish Jr. of Coldwater and Michael B. Emans of Celina -- were among those taken into custody and later transported to the Van Wert County Jail because there was no room locally.
Celina resident Reuben Rodriguez was taken into custody at the Club Cafe, where he works as a bartender and cook. Cruisers parked on three sides of the establishment as officers and a K-9 unit patrolled the alley to prevent a backdoor escape. Rodriguez was playing pool when an undercover officer entered with uniformed personnel following closely on his heels. The employee offered no resistance as handcuffs clicked about his wrists.
Grey invited local television stations, newspapers and government officials along to watch as some of the arrest were made.
"I really got my eyes opened today," Celina Mayor Sharon LaRue told The Daily Standard.
LaRue found the arrest of three members of the Gates family particularly unsettling.
"Drugs affect families," she added. "Some of the people arrested today have young children. This is not the environment in which they should be raised. Those youngsters represent our future."
Mercer County Commissioner Jerry Laffin applauded the joint effort involving law enforcement from several jurisdictions. Although the county is faced with budget constraints, he voiced his support for future activities targeting drug traffickers.
"Drug traffickers continue to ignore our warnings that Mercer County is not a good place to do business," Grey said. "We didn't get you today but we aren't done. The next deal you make could lead to a trip to jail." |
