Lorain man sentenced for heroin trafficking

A Lorain man has been sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison for his role in a family-run heroin trafficking operation.

Francisco Rivera, 32, of Lorain, was sentenced in two separate drug trafficking cases Oct. 7, Lorain County Common Pleas Court Judge John Miraldi said the State negotiated an agreed upon sentence of five years in prison for a higher level trafficking charge.

An Amherst middle school student faces disciplinary actions for allegedly bringing a paintball gun onto school property Oct 6 According to a report: At 3:20 p m , a school resource officer requested that an officer respond to Powers Elementary School, 401 Washington St , to meet with Principal Debbie Waller and a 13-year-old student who had been detained for being in possession of the paintball gun while on school property

The Nord Middle School student did not act in a threatening manner, police said, but the teen will face disciplinary actions for bringing it onto school grounds

He was released to the custody of his mother by school officials

Lorain bar owner charged

A Lorain bar owner was charged with obstructing official business and allowing patrons to consume alcohol after hours in his establishment Oct 4

According to a Lorain police report:

Officers responded to the 440 Club, 2217 E 28th St , to conduct a “walk through” of the business at 2:17 a m

When they entered the first floor, officers found two doors leading to a second floor secured After 2:30 a m ,

“I think the fact that I gave him the maximum sentence speaks volumes about how I feel about drug trafficking The heroin epidemic is hitting Lorain county particularly hard ”

— Staff reports

John Miraldi, Judge

Rivera was also given the maximum sentence, 18 months in prison for a lower level trafficking charge, Miraldi said.

He will serve his sentences consecutively.

He was indicted in Dec. 2013 on police eventually were let through a door leading to the second floor, where they found customers still consuming alcoholic beverages and “full or partially full cups of alcoholic beverages and beer bottles ”

Bar owner Anthony McClinton, 44, of Elyria, was notified of the violations

He is scheduled to appear in Lorain Municipal Court on Nov 11

More than $19,000 in marijuana allegedly seized

A traffic stop by troopers Oct 2 in Lorain County led to the seizure of about $19,700 of marijuana and hash oil, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol

Troopers stopped a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier with a West Virginia registration for following too closely to another vehicle near milepost 138, according to the Highway Patrol

At 1:52 p m , a drug-sniffing canine searched the vehicle and officers discovered more than 4 pounds of marijuana and 56 grams of solidified hash oil in its trunk, according to the Highway Patrol

Passengers Crystal Riley, 27, of Augusta, W Va , and Edward Walsh, 27, of Keyser, W Va , were charged with felony possession of marijuana and hash The pair also were charged with felony possession of cocaine, according to court records

Riley is being held in Lorain County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail Walsh posted a bond of $25,000 on Oct 4, according to jail officials Both are scheduled to appear in Oberlin Municipal Court on Oct 8 charges of heroin trafficking, drug possession, drug paraphernalia, and driving under suspension.

Rivera, who ran a drug trafficking operation alongside his cousins Luis Acevedo Jr., 29, and Jose Romero, 33, both of Lorain, was arrested by Lorain police in Jan. 2012.

Upon arresting Rivera, Lorain police Sgt. Tom Nimon said officers seized 25 grams of heroin, 58 grams of cocaine, $28,665 in cash, three rifles, and four handguns.

One of Rivera’s accomplices, Kevin Thorpe, 22, of Lorain, was sentenced to three years of probation in January for his participation in the drug operation.

In discussing Rivera’s sentencing, Judge Miraldi said that the county’s heroin epidemic is a sad affair, asserting that anyone who plays a part in the trafficking of heroin should be held accountable for their actions.

“I think the fact that I gave him the maximum sentence speaks volumes about how I feel about drug trafficking,” Miraldi said. “The heroin epidemic is hitting Lorain County particularly hard. People who choose to supply and sell heroin in this County need to know that if convicted, they will be sent to prison.”

Acevedo, convicted of two counts of possession of drugs and one count of possession of criminal tools, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 17 in Common Pleas Court Judge James Miraldi’s courtroom.