Rebecca C. Lutzko United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
Four individuals have been indicted in Cleveland on charges related to an alleged international drug trafficking operation involving methamphetamine and fentanyl. The federal indictment, unsealed on December 9, details a conspiracy that reportedly spanned from February 2023 to August 2024.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio, Calvin Locke, also known as Uncle or Tio, age 53, is accused of selling narcotics to redistributors throughout northern Ohio and laundering proceeds through a business entity called Locke and Goldstein. Authorities allege that Josue Melendez, also known as Jay or Bananas, age 35, facilitated multi-kilogram shipments of methamphetamine from Sonora, Mexico. Carlos Escareno, also known as J, age 30, allegedly acted as a courier transporting large quantities of drugs from Arizona to Ohio. Shamese Maddox, age 37, is accused of supplying fentanyl to Locke.
United States Attorney David M. Toepfer for the Northern District of Ohio and Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen of the FBI Cleveland Division announced the charges.
Locke faces charges including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl; attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; and money laundering. Melendez is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Escareno faces the same conspiracy charge related to methamphetamine distribution. Maddox is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl as well as distribution of fentanyl.
If convicted, sentencing will be determined by the court based on factors such as prior criminal records, roles in the offenses, and specific characteristics of each violation. Sentences will not exceed statutory maximums but may be less than those limits.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Cleveland Division along with multiple law enforcement partners including local police departments in Cleveland and Brooklyn (Ohio), North Royalton Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ottawa County Prosecutor's Office, Ohio Bureau of Crime Investigations, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Police Department and IRS-Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth Crook is prosecuting the case for the Northern District of Ohio. The U.S. Marshals Service provided additional support for this initiative.
"An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."
