4 defendants convicted in case involving freight shipment of hundreds of pounds of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine & marijuana

DAYTON, Ohio - A final defendant pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today in a federal case involving the seizure of 119 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl, 170 pounds of methamphetamine and 80 pounds of marijuana.

A federal grand jury indicted four men in February: Jason Heath, 40, of Dayton; Roderic Searcy, 60, of Los Angeles; Craig Worthen, 40, of Los Angeles; and Mark Lane, 33, of Cincinnati.

Heath pleaded guilty today to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of cocaine. The narcotics conspiracy is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison.

According to court documents, on Feb. 2, DEA agents executed a federal search warrant on a freight package delivered to a distribution center in Dayton where agents discovered and seized the large quantity of suspected controlled substances.

Lane and Searcy drove a white Mercedes van to the distribution center on Feb. 3 to retrieve the shipment. Lane and Searcy then took possession of the freight and loaded two pallets into the van before leaving the distribution center.

From the distribution center, Heath and Worthen followed the van in a Honda Civic to an address in Dayton. The defendants discovered the suspected controlled substances had been removed when they started to unwrap the package inside the van, and all four defendants immediately attempted to leave the residence unsuccessfully. All four individuals were stopped and arrested by federal agents.

Worthen was sentenced in September to 11 years in prison. The other three defendants await sentencing.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Joseph O. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Detroit, announced the guilty plea offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter B. Silvain, Jr. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth A. McCormick is representing the United States in this case.

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