Bar Flies Ran Cocaine Ring For Mexican Cartel In Ohio Town

A couple employed at a popular local bar in Xenia, OH have been indicted for allegedly running a cocaine trafficking ring in Greene County for a Mexican drug cartel, and authorities seized 121 pounds of cocaine and $625,000 cash from their home.  The couple -- Sheldon Smith and his girlfriend Kelly Brown -- were "arrested Dec. 24 outside LA's Sports Bar and Grille in Xenia where Smith worked as a bartender and Brown an assistant manager."  Although police do not suspect that drugs were sold out of the bar, they did seize cash from the bar believed to be drug proceeds.  An unidentified woman claimed to be the owner of the bar, and stated that her business was not involved in the drug ring:

However, business incorporation records filed with the secretary of state in 2006 record Smith and Brown's home address as the original business address. In February 2008, paperwork changed it to the bar's current location at 44 Xenia Towne Square.

Last May law enforcement arrested Ismael Gonzalez, of California, and Carlos A. Tartida-Villalba, of Mexico, in connection with the case.