Twelve Indicted for Drug Trafficking in Northern Panhandle

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - Twelve people from Ohio and West Virginia have been charged with distributing cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl.

United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced that ten individuals from the Greater Cleveland area plus two more from the Ohio Valley have been indicted on federal drug trafficking charges. The cases were investigated by multi-jurisdictional drug task forces based in Weirton, Wheeling, and Moundsville which are comprised of local, state, and federal agents.

"We have recently experienced a surge of drug traffickers from Northern Ohio traveling to West Virginia to sell drugs and engage in violence," said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. "Our drug task forces responded swiftly to this influx and as a result, we were able to build cases, obtain indictments, and push back against the threat."

The individuals charged and the allegations each face are as follows:

• Deangelo Smith, age 45, Cleveland (cocaine distribution in Ohio County);
• Derrick Leflore, 35, Cleveland (cocaine distribution in Ohio County);
• Dontrell Ivery, 46, Cleveland (cocaine distribution in Ohio County);
• Alexander Davis, 43, Cleveland (methamphetamine distribution in Ohio County);
• Tiajuana Sharnna Greer, 29, Cleveland (cocaine distribution in Ohio County);
• Ahmere Williams, 20, of Akron (methamphetamine distribution in Marshall County);
• Demarcus R. Brown, 21, Akron (methamphetamine/fentanyl distribution in Marshall County);
• Michael J. Lloyd, Jr., 21, Akron (methamphetamine/fentanyl distribution in Marshall County);
• Sirvonte R. Suggs, 18, Akron (methamphetamine/fentanyl distribution in Marshall County);
• Stephan G. Ward, 32, Akron (methamphetamine/fentanyl distribution in Marshall County);
• Carol Hope Lucscious, 36, Wheeling, WV (cocaine distribution in Ohio County); and
• David Bushovisky, 47, Moundsville, WV (methamphetamine distribution in Marshall County)

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clayton Reid and Carly Nogay are prosecuting the cases on behalf of the United States.

The matters were investigated by the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force, and the Marshall County Drug Task Force, each one a HIDTA-funded initiative.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.