WARREN, Mich. – A big takedown in the fight against the opioid epidemic happened Wednesday in Metro Detroit.
Warren police arrested three men and said more arrests are likely.
They believe the three taken into custody are the leaders of a ring selling cocaine laced with fentanyl that has killed three people in Warren.
Warren police called the bust Operation S.N.O.W. (Stopping Narcotic Overdoses in Warren). The investigation began when a 47-year-old woman in Warren had a fatal overdose in November.
Authorities said first responders spoke to people at the scene, who provided key information to help police track down the three.
Jermaine Tate, 38, has been charged with conducting criminal enterprise, delivery/manufacturing fentanyl and three counts of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture fentanyl. He was given a $250,000 cash or surety bond.
Nathaniel Clark, 32, as been charged with conducting criminal enterprise, three counts of delivery/manufacturing fentanyl and three counts of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture fentanyl. He was given a $350,000 cash or surety bond.
Terry Jamal Gaskins, 34, has been charged with conducting criminal enterprise, three counts of delivery/manufacturing fentanyl and three counts of conspiracy to deliver/manufacture fentanyl. He was given a $50,000 cash or surety bond.
All charges are 20-year felonies.
Police are still looking for Isaac Lee Bannerman, 34, for the same charges.
Warren police said Clark, Gaskins, Bannerman and Tate are a part of a larger organization supplying drugs to Macomb, St. Clair, Wayne and Lapeer counties.
Authorities said they’ve been distributing cocaine laced with fentanyl, cut down to make a larger profit.
Investigators tied the drugs to the 47-year-old woman, two other deaths in Warren and more than 24 overdoses. It’s estimated that the amount of drugs seized could kill about 100 people.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Warren Police Department at 586-574-4700.
Read more: Metro Detroit crime news