Youngstown man implicated in nationwide multi-million dollar narcotics operation

Darrell Peterman Sr.

 A Youngstown man has been arrested as part of what the Drug Enforcement Agency calls a national narcotics distribution operation bringing drugs from California to Ohio.

Sixty-year-old Darrell Enrico Maurice Peterman Sr. of Youngstown is among ten people named in a federal indictment involving the seizure of more than 210 pounds of narcotics including 115,000 pills, nearly half a million in cash, 7 firearms, and 4 vehicles.

The suspects allegedly took part in what’s being characterized as a “polydrug trafficking organization” involving 76 kilograms of fentanyl including 115,500 fentanyl-laced pills, nine kilograms each of methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana, and heroin and crack cocaine.

“In what is believed to be the largest single fentanyl seizure ever in the Southern District of Ohio, the government has removed approximately $4.5 million worth of fentanyl and fentanyl pills from our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Today’s cooperative law enforcement operation has the potential to save lives.”

The investigation stems from the early-June arrest of Isabel Odir Castellanos, of Los Angeles who is accused of using a semi-truck to move drugs from California to Columbus.

Castellanos owns a transportation company and is a semi-truck driver who frequently travels across the United States.

Investigators say Castellanos delivered the narcotics to Susana Orellana’s home in Columbus, which served as a stash house.

Orellana then allegedly delivered the drugs to mid-level retail distributors. Those mid-level retailers then allegedly sold the drugs in Central Ohio, Youngstown, Ohio, Springfield, Ohio, and in West Virginia.

Orellana allegedly collected the drug proceeds and provided them to Castellanos before he returned to California.

Peterman Sr. is identified as one of those mid-level dealers in court documents, allegedly supplying cocaine and fentanyl in the Youngstown area.

Investigators say that on February 11, 2022, Peterman ordered one kilogram of cocaine and one kilogram of fentanyl from Castellanos.

That same day Castellanos and Orellana traveled 182 miles from Columbus to meet Peterman Sr. at his home in Youngstown.

According to court documents, Peterman entered Orellana’s BMW for a short time.

After Peterman returned to his home, federal agents say it appeared that Orellana was counting drug proceeds from Peterman.

After Castellanos and Orellana left, Peterman drove away in a Nissan Maxima which was later pulled over by State Troopers for a traffic violation.

During the traffic stop, an inspection by a drug detection K-9 led Troopers to search Peterman’s Nissan.

Troopers say the search turned up 1,146 grams of fentanyl and 1,176 grams of cocaine.

Using surveillance, investigators said that Castellanos and Orellana would make the 364-mile round trip from Columbus to Peterman’s Youngstown home. Agents say the visits would be of short duration which investigators say is recognized as consistent with narcotics trafficking.

Peterman Sr., charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute and methamphetamine, was arrested on Wednesday.

Investigators believe in the last year the organization distributed more than 600 kilograms of fentanyl worth approximately $20 million, more than 45 kilograms of cocaine worth more than $1 million, more than 400 pounds of methamphetamine worth approximately $1 million, and approximately 12 kilograms of heroin worth approximately $400,000.

The remaining nine suspects indicted include the following:

• Susana Maria Orellana, 39, Columbus, Ohio
• Martel D. Owens, 38, Springfield, Ohio
• Dwayne Stanley Childs, 33, Columbus, Ohio
• Justin M. Berrien, 42, Springfield, Ohio
• Kelvin R. Battle, 47, Springfield, Ohio
• Jermaine Anthony Peterson, 37, Springfield, Ohio
• Linda Laura Marie Houle, 47, Springfield, Ohio
• Carl Dewayne Jenkins, 53, Wadestown, West Virginia
• James Ian Sheets, 49, Fairview, West Virginia