COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say 22 people have been charged with drug trafficking and gun crimes in a central Ohio investigation.
State and federal investigators say the defendants are alleged members of a gang that has operated in a neighborhood north of downtown Columbus for two decades.
Some alleged members of the Short North Posse are relatives of original gang members from the 1990s, including sons and daughters, assistant U.S. attorney David DeVillers said.
The defendants are charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine, oxycodone, crack cocaine and marijuana. The federal indictments announced Wednesday also charge defendants with illegal possession of firearms, illegal travel to support racketeering and money laundering.
Several of the defendants were in custody Wednesday.
Columbus, Franklin County and federal authorities say the indictments cap a yearlong investigation.