OHIO — The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office announced that a grand jury has indicted 37 individuals accused of participating in a large drug trafficking organization linked to multiple overdose deaths in Cleveland.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley said the indictments stem from a lengthy investigation into a drug network responsible for distributing fentanyl, xylazine, cocaine, and methamphetamine throughout the area.
According to a press release, the organization is connected to three overdose deaths, including the deaths of John Lee, 56, and Angela Staehr, 41, in 2024, as well as a previously unsolved overdose death in 2022 involving Amanda Garrison, 26.
Lee was found dead on Aug. 16, 2024, at a home near East 71st Street and Indiana Avenue. Staehr was found dead on Sept. 17, 2024, at a residence near Sackett Avenue and Rhodes Court. Investigators with the Cleveland Division of Police Narcotics Unit determined the narcotics involved in both cases were supplied by the same trafficking organization. The investigation later linked the organization to Garrison’s 2022 overdose death.
Authorities said the investigation identified 37 individuals involved in the organization’s supply chain, which used multiple locations to store, manufacture, and distribute narcotics. Search warrants were executed at 12 locations, resulting in the seizure of more than six kilograms of drugs, more than $240,000 in cash, and 15 firearms, several of which were reported stolen.
The investigation was conducted by the Cleveland Division of Police Narcotics Unit with assistance from the Euclid Police Department, the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
On Nov. 25, 2025, the grand jury returned indictments charging the defendants with a total of 180 counts, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated drug funding, drug trafficking, drug possession, illegal manufacturing, and having weapons under disability.
An arrest operation was carried out Saturday by the U.S. Marshals Service and Cleveland police. The defendants are expected to be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center at a later date.
“This indictment reflects the strong collaboration between the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office and our law enforcement partners,” O’Malley said. “By dismantling this organization, we are removing dangerous individuals, lethal narcotics, and stolen firearms from our community. These arrests will save lives throughout northeast Ohio.”
