The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
26 people accused of bringing drugs to NE Ohio
Twenty-six people were indicted in federal court for their roles in two separate drug conspiracies
Twenty-six people were indicted in federal court for their roles in two separate conspiracies to bring large amounts of drugs — including fentanyl, heroin and cocaine — to Northeast Ohio, law enforcement officials said.
Two individuals remain fugitives of justice: Victor Felix, 39, of Cleveland; and William Rodriguez, 40, of Cleveland.
Fifteen people were charged in a 29-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and U-47700 (a fentanyl analogue). They are: Irwin Jose Vargas, 42, of Euclid; Keyra Linnette Martinez, 42, of Euclid; Irwing Vargas Rosario, 24, of Cleveland; Isidoro M. Gonzalez, 41, of Cleveland; Alcides Garcia, 46, of Ponce, Puerto Rico; Austin Natale, 27, of Cleveland; Kayle Mae Jonela, 22, of Brook Park; Rosemary Howell, 55, of Cleveland; Dennis Mansfield, 58, of Cleveland; William Rodriguez, 41, of Cleveland; Jeffrey Mack, 44, of Cleveland; Victor Felix, 39, of Cleveland; Nelson Benitez Jr., 34, of Cleveland; Thomas Lopez, 39, of Cleveland, and Edgar Arroyo, 37, of Cleveland.
Twelve people were charged in a 26-count indictment with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, NEthyl Pentalone (an analogue to MDMA or “molly”) and marijuana. They are: Emad Silmi, 43, of North Olmsted; Christopher Young, 46, of Westlake; Herbert Shaw, 44, of Cleveland; Samer Abu-Kwaik, 46, of Cleveland; Nelson Benitez Jr., 34, of Cleveland; Jonathan Smith, 34, of Lathrup Village, Michigan; John D. Ciarlillo, 42, of Medina; Anthony Quinn Greenlee, 26, of Huron; Santana Jones, 22, of Cleveland; Gregory Lowery, 32, of Painesville; Mogahed Mustafa, 30, of North Olmsted, and Erkan Nevzadi, 29, of Cleveland.
Benitez is charged in both indictments.
“These groups brought hundreds of pounds of dangerous drugs into Northeast Ohio and sold them throughout our community,” U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said.
“We will continue to work collaboratively to shut off the flow of drugs and seek long prison sentences for traffickers.”
Vargas, Martinez and Gonzales arranged for shipments of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine from Puerto Rico between 2016 and the present. These shipments included at least a kilogram of fentanyl, a kilogram of heroin and 5 kilograms of cocaine. Many of these shipments came through the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx and UPS, according to the indictment.
Vargas, Martinez, Gonzales and Rosario then sold the drugs to other drug traffickers in Cleveland. Members of the conspiracy used several locations in Greater Cleveland to receive, store and distribute the drugs, including: 4705 Bridge Ave. (Vargas’ business, Santiago Auto Care Services, also known as Capu Auto and Sound); 6841 Day Drive, Apartment 605, in Parma and 754 Hemlock Drive in Euclid (Vargas’ and Martinez’s residences); 3871 Ridge Road (Gonzales’ business, Ways to Save Auto Sales); 5601 Wichita Ave. (Gonzales’ residence) and 11901 Lena Ave. (Howell’s and Mansfield’s residence), according to the indictment.
Vargas and Martinez often used the U.S. Postal Service online system to track shipments of parcels sent to Northeast Ohio from Puerto Rico, as well as packages shipped from China to Puerto Rico, according to the indictment.
In the second conspiracy, Silmi obtained large amounts of cocaine from Abu-Kwaik and then sold it to other drug dealers from his business Global Auto Body & Collision at 4317 W. 130th St. He also obtained large amounts of N-Ethyl Pentylone — an analogue of “molly” — from Greenlee, which Greenlee had obtained from suppliers in China. Silmi sold the molly analogue to other dealers from his Cleveland auto
Two individuals remain fugitives of justice: Victor Felix, 39, of Cleveland; and William Rodriguez, 40, of Cleveland.
body shop, according to the indictment.
Silmi obtained at least 5 kilograms of cocaine and more than 100 kilograms of marijuana between January 2016 and March 2017, according to the indictment.
Greenlee used 3006 Cleveland Road West, Apartment 8 in Huron (his residence) and U.S. Motor Sales at 4927 Brookpark Road in Parma (his business) to store and distribute drugs. Kwaik used U.S. Motor Sales at 4927 Brookpark Road, Parma, (his business) and 7358 Meadow Lane, Parma, (his residence) to store and distribute drugs, according to the indictment.
Greenlee and Nevzadi used firearms, ammunition and other weapons to protect their drug trafficking activities, according to the indictment.
Silmi is also charged with conspiracy to launder money as part of an effort to hide his drug profits, according to the indictment.
Anyone with information on Felix or Rodriguez is encouraged to contact law enforcement.