CELINA — A suspected drug dealer with a violent history was in jail Friday on a $1 million bond following a 16-month investigation by the Grand Lake Drug Task Force.
Scott A. Stein, 46, of Celina, was taken into custody when the special response team served a no-knock, nighttime search warrant Thursday, Mercer County Sheriff Jeff Grey said.
Stein is being held in the Mercer County jail on two unrelated misdemeanor warrants and was charged with possession of cocaine, a fifth-degree felony, and aggravated possession of drugs, a first-degree felony.
Stein has been on the law enforcement radar for a long time, Grey said. His arrest followed a traffic stop Wednesday morning by Botkins police in which 44 grams of crystal methamphetamine was recovered. The drugs were traced back to Stein, Grey said.
That information was enough to obtain the search warrant at Stein’s home at 719 S. Elm St., which a no-knock was obtained due to Stein’s history of violence and using guns including a shootout with another person earlier this year that led to an indictment in Logan County, Grey said.
Officers executing the 12:25 a.m. search warrant seized 3 grams of cocaine and a small amount of marijuana, Grey said.
Information gathered also led officers to an apartment and vehicle linked to Stein at 1400 W. Market St., Apt. 63. A safe and a gun were taken from the apartment. Two more guns were found in the car along with crystal methamphetamine, Grey said.
Three of the guns were shotguns and one was a revolver. The 3.59 pounds of crystal methamphetamine has an estimated street value of $150,000, Grey said.
“Mr. Stein was considered a major distributor of crystal methamphetamine not only in Mercer County but surrounding counties,” Grey said.
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