11 people sentenced for involvement in Ohio drug operation

OHIO — Eleven individuals have been sentenced in connection with a major drug trafficking organization (DTO) that smuggled large quantities of marijuana from California to Ohio, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced.

The operation, led by 34-year-old Jerry Baker of Cleveland, transported suitcases filled with drugs from Los Angeles to Cleveland, where they were distributed on the city’s east side.

Baker directed the group’s activities, which included drug trafficking, extortion, and robbery.

The organization received more than 600 pounds of marijuana from a supplier in California and laundered drug proceeds through money orders.

Federal agents discovered the DTO used “In & Out Tires,” a Cleveland business owned by Baker, as a drug distribution hub.

During the investigation, authorities seized firearms, packing materials, suitcases, and other evidence of drug trafficking.

Among those sentenced:

• Jerry Baker – 168 months in prison for multiple drug, money laundering, and firearms offenses.
• Walter Sornoza, 50, of Los Angeles – 108 months for leading the “Empire Genetics” drug network.
• Deshaun Martin, 36, of Cleveland – 87 months for drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
• Noblys Garcia, 43, of Studio City, CA – 60 months for drug distribution.
• Keveon Lewis, 44, of Corona, CA – 6 months in prison and 6 months of location monitoring.
• Moniqka Hazzard, 32, of Riverside, CA – 30 days in prison and 7 months of location monitoring.
• Antonio Lanier, 35, of Cleveland – 12 months and 1 day in prison.
• Ajeremiah Baker, 20, of Garfield Heights, OH – 24 months in prison.
• Sidne Spencer, 28, of North Hollywood, CA – 2 years of probation.
• Jerry Baker Sr., 55, of Cleveland – 3 years of probation.
• Herman Wilson, 43, of Katy, TX – 2 years of probation.

The investigation was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which focuses on dismantling major criminal organizations.

It involved multiple federal and local agencies, including the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Cleveland Division of Police, and the Los Angeles Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret A. Sweeney and Trial Attorney Brian Lynch prosecuted the case.