Leader of Rated R street gang in Canton sentenced to prison time in drug trafficking ring

CANTON, Ohio - Four people were sentenced in a Stark County drug trafficking ring, including the leader of Canton’s Rated R gang.

All four pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Steven M. Dettelbach. Jasmine Watkins, 29, also pleaded guilty to being a felon is possession of a firearm.

Watkins would give 25-year-old Jerry Gordon shipments of heroin and crack cocaine in Columbus, and Gordon would bring the drugs to houses on Sol Beck in Canton, the FBI said.

“These four sentences wrap up another phase of law enforcement's efforts to dismantle drug trafficking groups in our area. The FBI will continue to work side by side with our law enforcement partners to make Canton neighborhoods a safer place to live,” said Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cleveland field office in a news release on Friday.

Court documents said Virgil Hill, 26, is the leader of the Rated R gang and made large purchases of cocaine.

The following are Friday’s sentences:

- Jasmine Watkins, 29, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- Virgil Hill, 26, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
- Cordrick Owens, 32, was sentenced to 12 years, seven months in prison.
- Jerry Gordon, 25, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The news release also said that 17 people have already been sentenced to prison time in this case:

- Travis Grant: 10 years, one month.
- Timothy Bertram: four years, nine months.
- Oscar Todd: 10 years, five months.
- Edward Turpin IV: 10 years.
- Perez Antwan Williams: five years.
- Demond Hill: 10 years, two months.
- Bennie Woodson: six years, 10 months.
- Ronald D. Hill: six years, 10 months.
- John L. Hill: three years, one month.
- Barry Giamourdes: four years, three months.
- Brandon Jones: 10 years.
- Lavanya Mayle: five years.
- Brian Brown: six years.

Five more were indicted in January.