The Ohio Organized Crime investigators report confiscating more than $63M in illegal drugs in 2023

The law enforcement task forces organized under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission (OOCIC) confiscated more than $63 million in illegal drugs in 2023, including notable increases in cocaine and psilocybin mushrooms, Ohio Attorney General Yost announced Friday.

"Our major drug interdiction task forces are taking drugs, guns, and cash off the streets and holding traffickers accountable," Yost said. "The bottom line is that poisons like fentanyl continue to stream into Ohio and ruin lives. Stopping the flow of illegal drugs has been and will continue to be a top priority,"

The task force also seized 400 firearms, and nearly $5.5 million in cash this year.

The task force saw a noticeable increase in the quantity of psilocybin mushrooms seized in 2023. They seized nearly 520 pounds of cocaine this year, which the OOCIC says is a significant increase from previous years.

A case from Mahoning County was listed in the 2023 notable seizures section of the press release.

Back in October, agents with the Mahoning Valley Major Drug Interdiction Task Force along with the Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force and Mahoning Valley Violent Crimes Task Force served a search warrant on a residence in Youngstown. 

They found 3 pounds of cocaine, more then 10 pounds of methamphetamine, and over $55,000 in cash.

The task force includes the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office, Mahoning Valley Law Enforcement Task Force, BCI, and the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office.

In total, 272 pounds of fentanyl, 349 pounds of meth, 1,801 pounds of marijuana, 40 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, and 68,112 prescription pills were seized in 2023.