The final two fugitives charged as part of “Operation Fly City” were arrested by federal agents on July 13, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio. The arrests mark the conclusion of an eight-week operation targeting gun violence and drug trafficking in Dayton, with a total of forty-seven defendants facing federal charges.
U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II announced on June 22 that the operation began on April 27 and resulted in the seizure of 176 firearms, machinegun conversion devices, and kilogram quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine. At that time, four defendants remained at large: Isaiah Chancellor, Anthony Scott, Eucelf Taste Sr., and Eucelf Taste Jr.
Father and son Eucelf Taste Sr., 46, of Trotwood, and Eucelf Taste Jr., 22, of Dayton were apprehended by officials with the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST), led by the United States Marshals Service. SOFAST arrested both men in a business complex parking lot in Oakwood. According to charging documents, Taste Jr. allegedly sold fentanyl and a machinegun to undercover officers while claiming membership in the 41 Boyz drug trafficking organization known for offering protection services to other dealers. He also allegedly offered armed security at a purported five-kilogram drug deal on June 9.
Taste Jr. is further alleged to have described his father as a major trafficker with direct connections to Mexico who received kilograms of narcotics monthly from his source. Undercover officers were shown a photo dated June 8 depicting Taste Sr. holding what was claimed to be half a million dollars from drug sales; he later allegedly sold one kilogram of fentanyl through an introduction from his son.
The two other fugitives were taken into custody last month: Chancellor was arrested June 23 on charges including conspiring to distribute fentanyl; Scott was arrested June 30 for alleged conspiracy involving over one kilogram of fentanyl and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
All forty-seven defendants are charged via twenty federal indictments or three criminal complaints; these documents contain allegations only, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The cases are prosecuted by Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi and several Assistant United States Attorneys as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under Executive Order 14159.