U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko | U.S. Department of Justice
Ronald Rendon-Luna, a 37-year-old Mexican national living in Painesville, Ohio, has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison for his involvement in a drug-trafficking conspiracy. U.S. District Chief Judge Sara Lioi handed down the sentence after Rendon-Luna pled guilty to charges of drug trafficking and possession of firearms as an alien. He will also serve three years of supervised release.
The investigation was conducted by the Cartel, Gangs, Narcotics and Laundering Task Force of the FBI-Cleveland Division. It led to the arrest and prosecution of Rendon-Luna and three other co-conspirators with connections to the Sinaloa Cartel based in Culiacán, Mexico.
Court documents revealed that from June 2022 through January 2023, Nefer Ojeda-Elenes, 32, from Upland, California, conspired with Rendon-Luna to use properties in Cleveland and Painesville as well as storage units for storing illegal drugs and proceeds. Rendon-Luna met with Cameron Harris, 29, from Dayton at local hotels to distribute drugs further into the Dayton area. Trino Alexander Briceno-Matheus, 31, from Miami Beach was also involved and collected $149,640 in drug proceeds.
The group distributed approximately 111 kilograms of fentanyl and around 42 kilograms of cocaine during their operation. "These criminals used their Mexican Cartel connections to bring millions of doses of fentanyl—each one potentially fatal—into our communities," said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio.
During searches at related residences and storage units, law enforcement found illegal drugs and confiscated weapons including an AK-47 and an AR-15 from Rendon-Luna’s home.
Ojeda-Elenes received a sentence of nearly 19 years on September 17, 2024. Harris was sentenced to over 12 years on August 20, 2024. Briceno-Matheus was sentenced to two-and-a-half years on July 23, 2024.
The case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative aimed at dismantling major criminal organizations threatening public safety through drug trafficking activities. The OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force includes agents from various federal agencies such as the FBI and DEA along with local law enforcement officers.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Bullard prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.