Both men started their careers in the lower echelon of the Franklin County Sheriff's Department. They worked their way from beat cop to undercover drug enforcement. Powell commanded a nine-county bust operation that included a motorcycle gang and a web of traffickers. He broke up a conspiracy of Cuban Nationals. He assisted in bringing to justice individuals contributing to the operation of the Mexican Cartel that worked a network between New York, Columbus, Houston, Miami, and Los Angelos.
Shawn Bain and Mike Powell broke up an LSD operation that extended from Columbus, Cleveland, to Santa Cruz, California.