A Mexican citizen living in West Chester pleaded guilty on Aug. 4 to conspiring to distribute drugs and participating in the buying and selling of stolen vehicles, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Sergio Velasco-Cortes, 42, also known as Piojo, Gordo, and Bruno, admitted in federal court that he was a member of a drug trafficking organization distributing kilogram shipments of cocaine throughout southern Ohio. Velasco-Cortes owned Ibiza Restaurant and Lounge in Cincinnati and Bar Bunny in Middletown. He purchased Ibiza for $250,000 cash from another member of the organization in fall 2024.
According to court documents, Velasco-Cortes engaged in drug trafficking at both bar locations. In December 2024 and January 2025, he traveled to Indianapolis to purchase bulk narcotics, which he brought back to southern Ohio. Investigators also linked him with a coconspirator who obtained cocaine shipments from Puerto Rico; drugs were delivered directly to Velasco-Cortes at Bar Bunny in February 2025.
Federal agents executed search warrants at his residence in March and April 2025, where they discovered seven stolen vehicles with falsified vehicle identification numbers. Further investigation found that Velasco-Cortes discussed buying, “cleaning,” and selling stolen cars with others involved.
Velasco-Cortes was charged federally along with five others on April 1, 2025. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years’ imprisonment; sentencing will be determined by the Court based on advisory guidelines at a future hearing.
The guilty plea was announced by Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Joseph O. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration, before Senior U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett. Assistant United States Attorney David P. Dornette is representing the government.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion—a whole-of-government effort aimed at dismantling criminal cartels and transnational organizations operating within or against U.S. interests.