Task Force Nabs Fugitive Named in City's Largest Drug Bust

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For Immediate Release	Contact:
February 25, 2009	Criminal Investigator Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian W. Koerbel (216) 276-1033

Task Force Nabs Fugitive Named in City's Largest Drug Bust

Cleveland, OH – In the early morning hours on February 25, 2009, Robert Moore III was apprehended by members of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force after being mistakenly released from the Cuyahoga County Justice Center a few days ago. Task Force members were able to develop new leads over the past forty-eight hours which provided a possible location in the southeastern suburbs of Cleveland. The Task Force responded swiftly to an apartment complex in the Sagamore Hills area where Moore was believed to hiding. At approximately 8:45 AM this morning the Task Force made entry into an apartment and found Moore hiding in a closet in a rear bedroom. There were no other people present in the apartment and Moore was arrested without incident.

Robert Moore was one of eight men indicted last Wednesday on charges of drug trafficking after the Cleveland Narcotics Unit found a trailer in Warrensville Heights containing bales of marijuana weighing approximately 3,000 pounds, $386,000 thousand dollars in cash, seven firearms, and eight vehicles. The bust is believed to be the largest in the city’s history. Moore was arrested on the 13th of February, indicted five days later on the 18th in county court and mistaken released later that day.

Criminal Investigator Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Koerbel states, “The results are amazing when law enforcement works together. The partnership that we have created with all the local departments to forge together and serve the community as a whole is a powerful thing. At the end of the day the most important result is that the fugitive is back behind bars where justice can be served.”

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of a known fugitive is encouraged to contact the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at: 1-866-4-WANTED. Callers may remain anonymous.

The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force in Cuyahoga County is composed of the following federal, state and local agencies: U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Cleveland Police Department, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Linndale Police Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development – Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Coast Guard.