Ohio man was ‘ring leader’ for Sinaloa cartel fentanyl operation

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Middletown is a city located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, about 29 miles northeast of Cincinnati.

Four days ago, a Middletown man pleaded guilty in a federal court for his role in a drug ring with ties to the Sinaloa cartel, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Donte Holdbrook, 24, admitted as part of the plea that he arranged shipments of fentanyl to enter the Middletown area. In a traffic stop, police discovered 366 grams of the powerful drug in his possession.

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates as little as 2 milligrams of fentanyl can kill a person. Holdbrook was in possession then of enough to kill more than 150,000 people.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio deemed Holdbrook a “ring leader” with connections to the cartel.

Holdbrook was among 12 charged by a Cincinnati federal grand jury earlier this year. The group allegedly distributed fentanyl received from Mexico.

This video provides recommendations to law enforcement on how to navigate safely around the increased prevalence of fentanyl in the illicit drug market. Wochit

Jose Lopez-Albarran, who is charged in a California federal court, laundered tens of millions of dollars in narcotics proceeds between 2015 and 2018, according to the Department of Justice.

Law enforcement discovered multiple cells, including in Middletown, of the operation throughout the U.S.

Holdbrook’s guilty plea in the narcotics conspiracy means he’ll face 10 years to life in prison.

Source: https://www.cincinnati.com