Drug Ring Moved Fentanyl Into Ohio, Indictment Says

CLEVELAND — A 10-person drug ring has been indicted for trying to move large shipments of fentanyl and other narcotics into Northeast Ohio, the Department of Justice announced. The ringleader was in prison and used a smuggled cell phone to orchestrate operations, according to the indictment.

“The lead defendant is accused of running an international drug trafficking organization from a jail cell in Ohio,” U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said. “He has come to this country illegally and allegedly made his living selling the same kinds of drugs that are killing our friends and neighbors. He is an importer of pain and will be prosecuted accordingly.”

According to the indictment, Jose Lozano-Leon ("Lozano") is accused of leading the Lozano drug trafficking organization. He was indicted in October 2018 for reentering the U.S. after being deported in 2017. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. He was then incarcerated at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center (NEOCC) in Youngstown.

Starting in November 2018, Lozano had a cell phone smuggled into his cell, the indictment said. He used that phone to continue running his drug trafficking organization. He specialized in pills containing fentanyl or fentanyl analogues, the indictment said.

Using the phone, Lozano would call the co-defendants and arrange shipments of drugs from Mexico to locations around Northeast Ohio and Cleveland, the indictment said. Beyond trafficking pills, Lozano's group also moved heroin, meth, cocaine and marijuana, the indictment noted.

On behalf of Lozano, Mario Hernandez-Leon (Hernandez) would get narcotics in Mexico and then have them smuggled into the U.S. and sent to traffickers in Northeast Ohio, the indictment said. He would travel between San Diego and Tijuana to get drug proceeds and deliver payments to suppliers in Mexico, the indictment said.

Clemente Gutierrez-Meran ("Gutierriez") was based in Mexico and would arrange shipments of narcotics and transfers of money for Lozano, the indictment said.

Lorne Franklin would receive the shipments in Cleveland, as arranged by Lozano, and then sell the narcotics in Northeast Ohio, the indictment said. Franklin then arranged for cash from the drug sales to be sent to Arizona, California and Mexico, the indictment noted.

All of the drug ring's operations were directed by Lozano from his prison cell, the indictment said. For example, Lozano and Gutierrez texted about a shipment of pills being sent to Cleveland. Minutes after, Lozano texted Franklin the following message:

“TOMORROW DA SKITTLES (fentanyl pills) ARRIVE AT (an address in Cleveland) AROUND NOON. WE GOTTA GET PAPER (money) ASAP SO WE CAN PAY EVERYBODY UP,” according to the indictment.

Later that same day, Lozano and Franklin talked about the arrival of 5,000 fentanyl pills and how they needed to pay $27,500 for the narcotics, the indictment said.

From his jail cell, Lozano recruited a person to drive the narcotics from San Diego to Ohio, the indictment noted.

On April 26, 2019, Lozano had a discusson, by phone, with another person about how strong the fentanyl pills sold by the group should be. They used a scale of one to 10 to gauge the issue, the indictment said.

Lozano said he wanted the pills to be an "eight or nine" and said he didn't want any overdoses, the indictment said.

The 10 people named in the indictment are: Jose Lozano-Leon, 41, a Mexican citizen who was living in Painesville; Mario Hernandez-Leon, 31, of Mexico; Clemente Gutierrez-Meraz, 27, of Mexico; Lorne Franklin, 45, of Cleveland; Leevern Coleman, 49, of Bedford; Belen Orozco-Sigala, 36, of Painesville; Najee Amir Evans, 28, of Cleveland; Troy Pinnock, 47, of Cleveland; Damon Bybee, 60, of Garfield Heights, and Montez Vanburen, 38, of Cleveland.

All 10 people are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

“Arrests like these are saving lives," said DEA Detroit Field Division Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin. "In Ohio and other parts of the country, we are seeing an increase in these blue pills that at first glance appear to be legitimately produced oxycodone, but in fact are laced with fentanyl. By working collaboratively with our law enforcement partners, we are getting members of this drug trafficking organization off the streets where they can no longer push these lethal drugs into our communities.”