A Summit County resident, Darron Portis, was sentenced on May 4 to ten years in prison for federal drug and firearms violations committed while he was out on parole.
Portis, age 36 and from Akron, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute—including cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine—and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He will also serve four years of supervised release after his prison term. U.S. District Court Judge Benita Y. Pearson imposed the sentence on April 30.
Court documents show that federal agents began investigating suspected drug activity involving Portis in Akron. In January 2025, agents executed a search warrant at an Akron residence where Portis was staying. During the search they found him with a loaded Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver and cocaine. Agents also discovered additional drugs hidden inside ductwork—a mixture containing tramadol, xylazine, fluorofentanyl, fentanyl as well as methamphetamine—along with cash totaling about $1,400 and another firearm.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Cleveland District Office together with the Akron Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie Wojtasik and James P. Lewis prosecuted the case for the Northern District of Ohio.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio promotes community safety through outreach programs and victim services across northern Ohio according to its official website. The office serves as the chief federal law enforcement authority for its district under the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website. It enforces federal criminal laws related to national security and public corruption while defending civil suits against the United States according to its official website. The office covers forty northern counties in Ohio according to its official website.
The U.S. Attorney's office works closely with schools and law enforcement agencies throughout these counties to improve community safety according to its official website, operating within federal law enforcement structures according to its official website. Its responsibilities include enforcing laws concerning national security, public corruption, civil rights; defending government interests in civil litigation; protecting public funds through engagement efforts; maintaining offices in Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, and Youngstown according to its official website.
