The bust, which affects a half-dozen Southwest Ohio counties, is the first major case handled through the new High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area office, a federal anti-drug program, Burke said Monday.

The drug ring was operating in Middletown, 26 miles northeast of Cincinnati, and Huber Heights, seven miles northeast of Dayton, Burke said. The suspects distributed drugs from Mexico to Montgomery, Warren, Clinton, Butler, Hamilton and Clark counties, he said.

Thursday, police with search warrants swooped in on locations in Middletown and Huber Heights. Officers confiscated 23.1 pounds of cocaine, 30 pounds of marijuana, $26,000 in counterfeit money, $86,000 in cash, six vehicles and at least a half-dozen "high-quality" revolvers and pistols, authorities said.

"We happened to get lucky and hit a big amount at the same time," Burke said, "But this is a pretty normal flow for them."

Five people were arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances: Juan Angel Saenz Jr., 30, of Middletown; Juan Manuel Paredes, 24, of Medway, near Dayton; Jhonnatan Torres Arroyo, 22, of Mexico; and Jose Manuel Hernandez, 25, and Samuel Hernandez, 29, both of Dayton.

All except Arroyo were being held in the Hamilton County Justice Center on Monday awaiting federal court appearances. Federal authorities were deciding where to house Arroyo.

The investigation required cooperation among local, state and federal authorities, Burke said.

Cases like this one show that even largely rural counties, such as Warren, aren't immune to drug trafficking, officials said.

"We would like to think of Warren County as a suburban county without 'big-city' problems like illegal drug trafficking," Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel said about the new federal anti-drug program. "The truth is that Warren County has significant problems with drug abuse and trafficking... (and) is no different than any other area of the country."

Drug traffickers have expanded into Warren County from surrounding urban areas - and use Interstates 71 and 75 to rapidly move drugs through the county, she said.

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com