Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
A Cleveland man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and illegally possessing firearms. Gerald M. Cook Jr., 38, received a sentence of 248 months from U.S. District Judge Pamela A. Barker after pleading guilty to several charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm and three counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Cook was also convicted of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In addition to his prison term, he will serve five years of supervised release and must forfeit all firearms seized by authorities.
“We have no tolerance for dangerous drug traffickers who make illegal profits by harming others. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will persist in our goal to end fentanyl’s grip on so many of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District Ohio. “I would especially like to commend the efforts of the DEA, the Willoughby Police Department and our other local partners for their hard work and dedication to protecting the public.”
Court documents show that on August 16, 2020, Willoughby police officers saw Cook run a red light in a black Porsche Cayenne before stopping at a hotel parking lot. Officers followed him into the lot and observed a loaded pistol inside his vehicle. Due to previous felony convictions for drug trafficking in 2018, 2014, and 2011, Cook was not allowed to possess firearms.
In September 2020, detectives from the Suburban Police Anti-Crime Network (SPAN) learned that an individual known as “JR” was selling fentanyl from an address in Euclid, Ohio. Investigators identified “JR” as Cook and conducted two controlled purchases from him at that location. On October 2, 2020, SPAN detectives and agents from the Cleveland DEA executed a search warrant at Cook’s residence, where they found over 100 grams of fentanyl analogue mixtures along with handguns, ammunition, digital scales, and mixing materials.
“Mr. Cook’s days of distributing poison in our communities has come to an end. This sentence will further protect our community and should serve as a warning to anyone willing to cash-in on suffering for profit,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Lawton for the DEA Detroit Division. “Partnerships, such as with Willoughby PD and SPAN, are crucial in our efforts to keep communities safe from drugs.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies: the DEA Detroit Division's Cleveland Field Office; Willoughby Police Department; and SPAN—a partnership that includes police departments from Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Mayfield Village, Richmond Heights, and Highland Heights.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys James P. Lewis and Kevin E. Bringman prosecuted the case.
National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day will be observed later this month on Thursday Aug. 21, 2025; additional information is available at https://dea.gov/fentanylawareness.
