Feds charge 57 in ‘Operation Lake Effect’ fentanyl investigation across Western Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Arizona

Federal agents and police swept across the region Thursday morning to make arrests in a major drug investigation dubbed “Operation Lake Effect” involving a ring operating in Arizona and distributing fentanyl and other drugs to dealers in Western Pennsylvania and Cleveland.

A grand jury in Johnstown indicted 54 people in two indictments, all stemming from an investigation that began in 2018 using informants, controlled buys, pen registers and traces on some 70 phones, wiretaps on 27 phones, vehicle trackers and surveillance.

One indictment named 25 people from Western Pennsylvania, many from the New Kensington area, with Robert Hurst, 44, of suburban Cleveland as the lead defendant.

A second indictment named 29 defendants in Arizona, with Marcos Monarrez-Mendoza, 53, of Phoenix, as the accused leader of a gang of suppliers who obtained their drugs from Mexico. That group was indicted under seal last year, and more charges were later added in a superseding indictment.

Another group of three defendants was charged by complaint, including Robert Hurst’s son, Raheem, 25, of Garfield Heights, Ohio, who is described as a courier for his father’s organization.

Two women charged with him are Leah Jackson, 37, of New Kensington and Samantha Jones, 40, of Arnold.

Details were sparse Thursday as the case developed, although residents in the Alle-Kiski Valley reported and in some cases recorded FBI agents in riot gear making arrests in the streets.

The ring is accused of trafficking in cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamines in and around New Kensington, Tarentum and Arnold in Westmoreland County; Leechburg in Armstrong County; the borough of Indiana in Indiana County; in Cleveland; and in Phoenix, Seattle, Minneapolis and Wichita.

Affidavits unsealed Friday for various search locations indicate the Arizona defendants acted as suppliers to drug dealers across the U.S., including those in the Pittsburgh region and Cleveland.

Search warrants executed in January at nine locations in Phoenix recovered $204,778, 27 kilos of fentanyl pills, 48 kilos of meth, 7.4 kilos of powdered fentanyl, 3.3 kilos of coke, 12 guns and nine vehicles.

Another five searches in Seattle turned up $395,000, 27 kilos of fentanyl pills, five vehicles and 14 guns.

As part of the indictment against the Arizona contingent, authorities have filed notice that they intend to seek forfeiture of Monarrez-Mendoza’s Ford F-150, a trailer, his Cadillac Escalade and his tow truck. They said they will also move to forfeit $45,852 recovered from him in November and another $73,800 seized at Seattle-Tacoma Airport in December.

Authorities with the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. attorney’s office said at a Friday news conference in Pittsburgh that the case started with street-level busts by local law enforcement and grew into a sweeping federal investigation that reached across the U.S. and into Mexico.

The U.S. attorney’s office said the case began five years ago with informant tips and controlled buys until FBI and Homeland Security Investigations agents had enough evidence last May for court-ordered wiretaps.

In the past 10 months, authorities said agents have seized more than 673 pounds of fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills, 400 pounds of meth and 16 pounds of cocaine. They have also seized more than $600,000 in cash and 47 guns.

Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Rivetti said the accused drug dealers “exploited our neighborhoods as they dealt deadly fentanyl and other drugs, without a second thought to the harm being inflicted on the community.”

Rivetti said that in addition to the people charged in federal court, dozens of other lower-level dealers arrested during the investigation have been or are being prosecuted in state courts.

The case was brought under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, a Justice Department initiative that pools resources to pursue major drug trafficking organizations.

In addition to Robert Hurst, who has connections to the Alle-Kiski area, these are the local defendants:

Barry Baker, 44, of Indiana, Pa.; Michael Brown, 41, of Indiana; Kayda Burek, 23, of New Kensington; Joseph Busch, 43, of New Kensington; Christine Cafazzo, 53, of New Kensington; Ernest Clinton, 40, of Leechburg; Misti Durante, 38, of Indiana; Melissa Frain, 34, of Indiana; Frank Gardner, 38, of Indiana; Keith Hurst, 45, of Tarentum; Kasmin James, 38, of New Kensington; Lamar Johnson, 40, of Indiana; Thomas King Jr., 55, of New Kensington; Lonnie McCann, 48, of Pittsburgh; Kareem Middlebrook, 41, of Creekside, Pa.; Devan Nicholson, 29, of New Kensington; Milton Paschal, 43, of Arnold; Cathie Payson, 52, of Indiana; Kevin Thomas, 46, of Vandergrift; Ashley Weston, 38, of Muncy, Pa.; and David Williams, 60, of Creekside, Pa.

Three people from Cleveland were also indicted with that group: Travis Ezekiel, 34; Torrence Lyde, 33; and DeAngelo Ward, 33.

A second indictment named mostly defendants from Arizona as part of Monarrez-Mendoza’s organization.

They are: Samuel Aguirre, 21, of Phoenix; Marcos Armenta, 22, of Phoenix; Mark Camacho, 24, of Phoenix; Robert Foster, 25, of Buckeye, Ariz; Donald Garwood, 40, of Glendale, Ariz.; Erivan Guerrero, 22, of Phoenix; Bryce Hill, 25, Seattle; Emmanuel Lopez, 27, of Glendale; Cesar Monarrez, 25, of Maricopa, Ariz.; Marcos Monarrez, Jr., 23, of Phoenix; Jairo Morales, 21, of Phoenix; Stephanie Ortiz, 24, of Avondale, Ariz.; Valerie Sanchez, 35, of Phoenix; Heaven West, 21, of Phoenix; Carlos Zamora, 27, of Peoria, Ariz.; Humberto Arredondo-Soto, 23, of Phoenix; Colby Barrow, 29, of Peoria, Ariz.; Luis Chavez-Ortega, 26, of Glendale; Donnell Collins, 27, of Cleveland; Mohamed Kariye, 34, of Kent, Wash.; Jesus Lopez, 21, of Phoenix; Diego Monarrez, 21, of Phoenix; Avante Nix, 20, of Saint Paul, Minn.; Alicia Parks, 24, of Kent, Wash.; James Pinkston, 32, of Pittsburgh; Jesus Ramirez, 25, of Phoenix; Sahal Sahal, 36, of SeaTac, Wash.; and Diamond Williams-Dorsey, 29, of Cleveland.