In a recent sentencing by the U.S. District Court, Kevin Deramus, deemed the ringleader of a sizable narcotics operation based in Cincinnati's West End, received a prison term spanning more than two decades. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio, Deramus will face 294 months behind bars for his role in concocting and disseminating an array of potent drugs, including heroin laced with fentanyl and other substances.
The culmination of this case saw four Cincinnati men receiving their sentences, with Deramus at the helm of the drug trafficking syndicate. Surveillance by law enforcement captured Deramus vaunting the strength of his drugs, yet lamenting they were "too strong" because customers took longer to return for more. On executing search warrants at related properties in early 2024, authorities uncovered significant cash and drug amounts, alongside loaded firearms.
Dorian Freeman, one of Deramus's primary distributors, has already entered a guilty plea and awaits his sentencing, facing a potential life sentence. More modest sentences were doled out to co-defendants, Gregory Isham received 57 months in prison and Damien Tribble and Edmond Hurt each were given 36 months, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The prosecution's case was represented by former Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Oakley and Assistant United States Attorney David P. Dornette. The announcement of the sentences was made by Dominick S. Gerace II, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, along with DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon and Cincinnati Interim Police Chief Adam Hennie.
