Feds: 17 People Indicted On Cocaine Charges After Medina Drug Ring Busted

CLEVELAND, OH — Seventeen people from across northeast Ohio have been indicted on federal charges for their alleged involvement in a crack cocaine production and distribution operation in Medina County. Twelve other people have been charged by the state.

The cases come after an 18-month investigation, when officers made undercover purchases of drugs. The case included investigators from the Drug Enforcement Agency, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Medina County Drug Task force. In addition to the indictments, the investigation yielded the seizures of more than 37 pounds of cocaine, $516,975 in cash, five firearms, a tractor-trailer and five other vehicles.

"The seizure of 37 pounds of cocaine and over half a million dollars of drug-dealing proceeds indicates that this group was connected with drug traffickers at the highest levels," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Plancon.

As of late Wednesday morning, all but three of the individuals indicted had been arrested, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department. Gary Hubbard, director of the Medina County Drug Task Force, said the indictments brought down "one of the largest drug trafficking investigations and narcotics seizures in Medina County history."

According to an indictment unsealed today: Troy Bankhead, 47, of Cleveland, sold large amounts of cocaine to Dona Battle, 44, of Cleveland, between August 2016 and February 2017. Battle then took the cocaine to the homes of Anthony Patterson, 50, and Felicia Finowski, 49, in Columbia Station; Douglas Cameron, 48, and Jennifer Cayce, 38, in Medina; and Erica Latten, 29, in Cleveland; where the cocaine was cooked into crack cocaine.

Battle then sold the crack to dealers, including Aaron Watson, 31, Medina; Dale Lind, 58, Medina; Carlos Tripp, 44, Medina; William Battle, 45, Cleveland; Raymel King, 30, of Cleveland; and Jermaine Tripp, 36, Medina; who then sold it to drug users, according to court documents.

Dona Battle also used the Medina home of Fannie Tripp, 60, and the Brunswick home of John Spickler, 38, as drug houses to sell the crack and powder cocaine, according to the indictment. Finowski, Patterson, Spickler and Tripp, as well as John Wise, 53, of Medina, provided transportation to Dona Battle to distribute the cocaine.

Those indicted in federal court today are: Troy Bankhead, 47, of Cleveland; Dona Battle, 44, of Cleveland; William Battle, 45, of Cleveland; Aaron Watson, 31, of Medina; Anthony Patterson, 50, of Columbia Station; Carlos Tripp, 44, of Medina; Dale Lind, 58, of Medina; Douglas Cameron, 48, of Medina; Erica Latten, 29, of Cleveland; Fannie Tripp, 60, of Medina; Felicia Finowski, 49, Columbia Station; Jennifer Cayce, 38, of Medina; Jermaine Tripp, 36, of Medina; John Spickler, 38, of Brunswick; John Wise, 53, of Medina; Michael Powell, 52, of Medina, and Raymel King, 30, of Cleveland.

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