119 Kilos Hidden in Freight: Four Convicted in Dayton Drug Shipment

DAYTON, Ohio — The final defendant in a federal freight-shipment drug case pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on November 13, 2026, closing out convictions for all four men tied to a seizure of 119 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl, 170 pounds of methamphetamine and 80 pounds of marijuana, federal prosecutors announced.

Read the U.S. Attorney's Office release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/4-defendants-convicted-case-involving-freight-shipment-hundreds-pounds-cocaine

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced the plea on November 13, 2026.

Jason Heath is 40 years old and is listed in the release as a resident of Dayton, Ohio.

Roderic Searcy is 60 years old and is listed as a resident of Los Angeles, California, officials reported.

Craig Worthen is 40 years old and is also listed as a resident of Los Angeles, according to the release.

Mark Lane is 33 years old and is listed as a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, officials reported.

A federal grand jury indicted the four men in February, according to the release.

A Freight Package, A Federal Search Warrant, And 119 Kilograms Seized

According to court documents, on Feb. 2, Drug Enforcement Administration agents executed a federal search warrant on a freight package delivered to a distribution center in Dayton.

Agents discovered and seized the large quantity of suspected controlled substances from the package, officials reported.

The seizure totaled 119 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl, 170 pounds of methamphetamine and 80 pounds of marijuana, according to the release.

A White Mercedes Van, Two Pallets, And A Honda Civic

On Feb. 3, Lane and Searcy drove a white Mercedes van to the distribution center to retrieve the shipment, according to court documents.

Lane and Searcy took possession of the freight and loaded two pallets into the van before leaving the distribution center, officials reported.

From the distribution center, Heath and Worthen followed the van in a Honda Civic to an address in Dayton, according to the release.

The defendants discovered the suspected controlled substances had been removed when they started to unwrap the package inside the van, officials reported.

All four defendants immediately attempted to leave the residence, and all four were stopped and arrested by federal agents, according to the release.

A Final Guilty Plea, An 11-Year Sentence, And Three Sentencings To Come

Heath pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of cocaine, officials reported.

The narcotics conspiracy is punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison, according to the release.

Worthen was sentenced in September to 11 years in prison, officials reported.

Heath, Searcy and Lane await sentencing, according to the release.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Joseph O. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Detroit, announced the guilty plea, which was offered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter B. Silvain, Jr.

Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth A. McCormick is representing the United States in the case, officials reported.

Sources

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio, Official Press Release, November 13, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/4-defendants-convicted-case-involving-freight-shipment-hundreds-pounds-cocaine