Fifteen people have been arrested after a Jefferson County grand jury returned indictments tied to a six-month investigation into alleged open-air drug trafficking on Hemlock Street in West Louisville's Park DuValle neighborhood. More than 15 individuals were indicted in connection with the probe, and authorities say additional charges are still pending.
The investigation was led by LMPD's Second Division Impact Unit and ran from March 1 through September 15, 2026, according to the Commonwealth's Attorney's office, as reported by WHAS11. Investigators focused on alleged open trafficking of illegal narcotics, particularly crack cocaine, concentrated in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of Hemlock Street, the outlet reported. The Second Division covers Park DuValle out of its headquarters on Bohne Avenue, according to the Louisville Metro Police Department.
The case didn't emerge out of nowhere. In September, LMPD's 2nd Division Impact Unit executed search warrants in the 1400 block of Hemlock Avenue and the 3600 block of Georgetown Place, seizing roughly $36,000 worth of crack and powder cocaine with help from K-9 Goose, according to the department's own account of the raid.
A Block With a History
This isn't the first time Hemlock Street has drawn police attention. In May 2025, Second Division officers executed a search warrant in the 1500 block of Hemlock Street and arrested three people on multiple drug trafficking charges, per WHAS11's reporting at the time. That earlier arrest underscores a recurring pattern of targeted narcotics enforcement on the same residential stretch long before this fall's larger sweep.
The majority of those charged in the new indictments face complicity in engaging in organized crime as a criminal syndicate, complicity in trafficking a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school, and complicity in trafficking more than 4 grams of cocaine, the station's report states. Some defendants face fewer or additional charges beyond that core set. Bonds for those arrested ranged from $5,000 to $20,000.
What the Charges Carry
The organized-crime count is not a minor add-on. Under Kentucky Revised Statute § 506.120, engaging in organized crime as part of a criminal syndicate is a Class B felony carrying a mandatory 10 to 20 years in prison upon conviction, according to Justia Law. The cocaine weight threshold also matters: trafficking four or more grams is a Class C felony carrying 5 to 10 years for a first offense under KRS § 218A.1412, per Cooley Iuliano Robey, PLLC.
The school-zone enhancement adds another layer. Trafficking within 1,000 feet of a school is a Class D felony under KRS § 218A.1411, and Kentucky Supreme Court precedent in Saxton v. Commonwealth established that prosecutors do not have to prove a defendant knew a school was nearby, according to FindLaw. Taken together, the stacked charges expose defendants named in the indictment to significant mandatory prison time if convicted. Defendants have upcoming court appearances.
Defendants named in the indictment include 47-year-old Andre Adams, 33-year-old Demetrius Ellington, 43-year-old Dianco Evans, 46-year-old Cory Griffith, 27-year-old Jermaine Hornbeak, 51-year-old Latoya Howlett, 29-year-old Moses Keelin, 44-year-old Tara Kelley, 62-year-old Darrell Mudd, 23-year-old Madhav Singh, 45-year-old Eric Smith, 44-year-old Lamont Smith, 38-year-old Ricky Smith, 57-year-old Dashawn Taylor and 58-year-old Lisa Tillman, all listed as Louisville residents except Howlett. Arraignments are scheduled for October 19, with a pretrial conference set for January 22, 2027.
A Deadly Backdrop for a Declining Trend
Jefferson County recorded more fentanyl-involved and methamphetamine-involved fatal overdoses in 2025 than any other county in the state, per LINK nky.
LMPD's Criminal Interdiction Division has reported seizing nearly 400 pounds of cocaine, 683 pounds of methamphetamine and 79 pounds of fentanyl through mid-2024, along with 214 illegal firearms, illustrating the broader scale of the department's ongoing narcotics work. A separate Louisville probe, Operation Cold Route, indicted 13 people and seized more than 300 pounds of methamphetamine.
