Accused Drug Trafficking Ring Indicted In Lorain County: DOJ

LORAIN, OH — A 43-count indictment filed this week in federal court accuses 15 people of trying to transport and sell narcotics — including heroin and fentanyl — in Lorain County.

“These arrests will make Lorain County safer. This group is responsible for selling large amounts of fentanyl, heroin and crack in our community," said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Keith W. Martin.

Cesar Francisco Melendez-Perez, 31, of Lorain; Erick Yamil Jiminez-Rodriguez, 30, of Manati, Puerto Rico; and Xavier Robles-Cruz, 32, of the Bronx, New York are accused of working together to buy large amounts of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine, according to the indictment filed by the Department of Justice. The three men distributed their narcotics to other drug dealers in Cleveland, Lorain, Arkansas and Pennsylvania, the indictment said.

According to the indictment, Ramon Feliciano-Montanez, 29, of Sheffield Lake; Princeton Edwards, 29, of Columbus; and Christopher Kovach, 29, of Parma would get the narcotics and then redistribute the drugs in and around Lorain.

Edwards and Feliciano-Montanez also distributed fentanyl, heroin and cocaine to other dealers in Lorain, including John Massey-Lovejoy, 37, of Lorain; Anthony Washington, 21, of Lorain; Bryce A. Babics, 30, of Lorain; and Toby Lewis, 24, of Elyria., the indictment said.

“We have always been appreciative of the level of cooperation between the local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies in this area in combating the drug issues that plague our communities,” Lorain Police Department Captain Roger Watkins said.

The indictment further states that some of the accused cooked cocaine into crack cocaine that was sold to people in Lorain. Some of the 15 accused also charges related to firearms.

Also named in the Department of Justice's indictment were Freddie Sanchez, 32, of Lorain; Jonas Pagan, 25, of Lorain; Jamie Pagan, 25, of Lorain; Thomas M. Parker, 29, of Lorain; and Ricky Londa, 26, of Lorain.

“These defendants sold opioids and cocaine for profit at a time when thousands of people across the country are dying, including people in Lorain County,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “We have now indicted more than 80 people on the federal level as part of Operation S.O.S. and remain committed to working collaboratively to address the drug overdose epidemic. The message should be clear to would-be drug dealers in Lorain County – if you sell illegal narcotics, you are going to be prosecuted by the feds.”