Four accused of cocaine dealing

From staff reports
Four Michigan residents were arrested and authorities confiscated about 10 ounces of cocaine worth $56,000 late Monday evening during an undercover operation near Macksburg.

Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks reported Wednesday that one woman and three men were arrested by agents of the Parkersburg Violent Crime and Narcotics Task Force and the Washington County Major Crimes Task Force. They are accused of trafficking in cocaine and are believed to be part of an organization from Detroit and Cleveland, working in conjunction with people in the Marietta/Parkersburg area intent on distributing cocaine.

The arrests are considered significant in curtailing the influx of powder cocaine into the Marietta/Parkersburg area, Mincks said. The arrests occurred about 10 p.m. when the suspects met undercover officers in a parking lot off Exit 16 of Interstate 77 in Macksburg.

The four people arrested are: Derill King Jr., 18, of Redford, Mich.; Helena Reid, 26, of Detroit, Mich.; Leonard Collins, 40, of Detroit, Mich.; and Mario Johnson, 28, of Detroit, Mich.

All four suspects remain jailed without bond on felony charges related to complicity and trafficking in cocaine. Officers continue to investigate and additional arrests are possible, Mincks said.