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Two face federal drug charges

3/17/2017

By Tom Marshall
Senior Advocate writer

Two people arrested in connection with a local drug investigation now face federal charges.

Carlton Holden, 21, of Dayton, Ohio, and Nicole Warren, 31, of Mt. Sterling, are charged with allegedly trafficking in crystal meth, heroin and fentanyl, Montgomery County Sheriff Fred Shortridge said.

Holden is also charged in connection with three recent non-fatal drug overdoses, Shortridge said. Authorities believe that Holden sold the drugs that led to the overdoses, the sheriff said.

Holden is target of a separate investigation in which he is a suspect in a Dayton murder, Shortridge said.

Local authorities arrested Holden Jan. 19 at a residence on Sycamore Street where he had reportedly been staying. He was reportedly found in possession of drugs, cash and a firearm.

Warren was arrested March 8 at 995 Spencer Road just outside the Mt. Sterling city limits. Authorities claim the pair were working together to sell drugs on local streets.

Both are now in federal custody.

The sheriff’s office and Mt. Sterling Police have made several drug cases in federal court the past few years. They told the Advocate previously that they prefer to prosecute cases in federal court when they can because convictions require that defendants serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. That is rarely the case in state court.

Both agencies say that when they respond to overdoses they are treating them as crime scenes in an attempt to trace the overdose back to the person who sold the drugs.

Local authorities are regularly working with federal authorities to make cases.

Shortridge said the investigation into Holden and Warren was conducted with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The MSPD has also been working recently with the DEA and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.