2 Cleveland Men Sentenced For Drug Trafficking

CLEVELAND — Two Cleveland men have been sentenced to three decades in prison for drug trafficking.

Clayton Hall, 40, and Gregory Franklin, II, 43, were both sentenced by Judge Donald Nugent. A jury found both men guilty of drug trafficking. Franklin was also found guilty of firearms crimes, the Department of Justice confirmed.

“This sentence reflects the lengthy criminal history and incarceration records of both defendants,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman. "These men have had little time as an adult in which they were free and not pending new charges or in prison."

While Hall was detained in Cuyahoga County in late 2018, pending other charges, he used the jail phone system to call Franklin and coordinate further drug trafficking, prosecutors said.

Hall and Franklin were accused of distributing heroin, fentanyl and cocaine between February and April 2019. When Hall was taken into custody in February, prosecutors said, he had 24 grams of cocaine and a mixture of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine in his possession.

On March 28, 2019, Cleveland police searched Hall's home and found more than 50 grams of heroin and fentanyl and 12 grams of cocaine, court documents said.

Police took Franklin into custody on April 30, 2019 and found 319 grams of heroin and fentanyl analogues in his possession. Franklin also had 527 grams of cocaine hidden beneath the center console of his car, court documents said.

Additionally, despite having multiple prior felony convictions on his record, Franklin had a 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol and 21 round of ammunition in his car. His prior convictions included drug trafficking and felonious assault of a peace officer.

Cleveland police and the DEA investigated Hall and Franklin and took the two men into custody in 2019.