Seventeen Charged for Allegedly Running Mexico-to-Ohio Heroin, Meth Ring

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged 17 individuals with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and/or methamphetamine in a superseding indictment returned here.

Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Frank S. Turner II, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol Colonel Paul A. Pride, Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs, Westerville Police Chief Joseph Morbitzer and Pickerington Police Chief Mike Taylor announced the superseding indictment returned yesterday and unsealed today.

The superseding indictment alleges that defendants conspired to bring the drugs from Mexico to the Southern District of Ohio from at least December 2015. One defendant, Jose Hernandez, was also charged with allegedly possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in October 2016.

Fourteen of the defendants are Mexican citizens and three are American citizens.

The individuals charged include:

• Guillermo Polanco-Contreras

• the individual known as “Chacorta”

• Hiram Hernandez-Sarabia

• Enrique Carrilo-Garcia

• Karla Aguayo-Camarena

• Hugo Carrilo

• Miguel Guardado-Hernandez

• Carlos Justo-Landa

• Erick Pablo-Reyes

• Hailey Johnson

• Crescencio Hernandez

• Jose Hernandez

• Alvaro Hernandez, aka “Alvaro Dejesus-Hernandez”

• Rene Casillas-Mojica

• Noe Zepeda-Yerena

• Ignacio Ortega-Meza

• Jose Del Real-Ortega

Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin or methamphetamine are each crimes punishable by up to life in prison. Using a firearm in furtherance of the illegal drug trafficking carries a potential maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

Ten of the defendants have been arrested and are in custody, and the United States will be seeking the extradition of four defendants from Mexico.

U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as Deputy Criminal Chief Michael J. Hunter who is prosecuting the case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.