DTF conducts drug raid in EL | News, Sports, Jobs

Members of the Columbiana County Drug Task Force prepare to enter a suspected drug house at 629 Minerva St. (Photo courtesy of Police Chief John Lane, East Liverpool Police Department)

EAST LIVERPOOL – The Columbiana County Drug Task Force (DTF) conducted a raid on suspected drug possession in East Liverpool early Thursday morning.

The raid at 629 Minerva Street, a home owned by Krista Rogers, was the DTF's third raid in two weeks and came right next to a drug raid on September 6. It was preceded by a raid on Ravine Street on September 4.

DTF Director Det. Jessie Smith of the Columbiana County Office said these two cases were run-of-the-mill cases where they found small amounts of suspected drugs and drug paraphernalia consistent with drug trafficking.

“Our presence in East Liverpool has grown significantly over the past year and we plan to continue to conquer the region as strongly as possible,” said Smith.

When the DTF entered the home at 629 Minerva St., they found three suspects: two women, including a resident who may face future charges, and a man named Khbair Tisdale, who had two warrants for his arrest, one in Columbiana County and one in Portage County. Tisdale faces possible charges based on what the DTF recovered from the home. Tisdale was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear.

Smith noted that, given the pending test results from the BCI lab, the two women may not be as involved in the case as Tisdale and that Tisdale is considered a more likely suspect than the women.

DTF officers have located and seized commercial quantities of powerful fentanyl, fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, numerous types of prescription pills, and drug paraphernalia associated with drug trafficking.

“We did not find every single drug in large quantities, but a whole lot of different drugs,” said Smith.

Smith noted that none of this is confirmed. The total weight and drug content have yet to be determined by the state lab. Everything has been sent to the state BCI lab, which will contact the DTF.

“All the drugs we found are probably these items, and that needs to be confirmed by the state laboratory,” said Smith.

Smith expects drug possession and trafficking charges to be filed once lab results are available.