PENNSYLVANIA — Three men have been arrested for their alleged roles in a drug trafficking organization accused of distributing fentanyl and cocaine across northeast Indiana, according to the Allen County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities said the arrests followed a joint investigation involving local, state and federal agencies. Investigators conducted multiple controlled purchases of narcotics from members of the alleged drug ring before making the arrests Wednesday.
During the operation, law enforcement officers seized more than six pounds of a suspected cocaine and fentanyl mixture. Investigators also executed a search warrant at a home on Stone Harbor Court in New Haven, where they recovered three rifles and a handgun.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspects as Manuel Osvaldo Tejon-Rodriguez, 40; Jose Escalante-Chinchillas, 35; and Jesus Gilberto Chavez-Carvajal, 39.
Tejon-Rodriguez is charged with two counts of dealing cocaine or a narcotic drug as Level 2 felonies and one count of dealing cocaine or a narcotic drug as a Level 3 felony.
Escalante-Chinchillas faces two counts of dealing cocaine or a narcotic drug as Level 2 felonies and one count of conspiracy to commit dealing cocaine or a narcotic drug as a Level 3 felony.
Chavez-Carvajal is charged with one count of dealing cocaine or a narcotic drug as a Level 2 felony and one count of conspiracy to commit a felony as a Level 2 felony.
All three men are being held in the Allen County Jail.
The investigation involved the Drug Enforcement Administration, Allen County Sheriff’s Department, Fort Wayne Police Department, New Haven Police Department, Indiana State Police, Noble County Sheriff’s Department, Auburn Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the Indiana National Guard Counter Drug Task Force and the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
