Two Mexican nationals residing in Lewis Center were sentenced on Aug. 4 to ten years in federal prison for their involvement in cocaine distribution and firearm offenses, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Laura Reyes Esquivel, 49, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison, while Mario Gamino Sanchez, 30, received his sentence last week from U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Both individuals possessed with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of cocaine and had a firearm during their drug trafficking activities.
Court documents indicate that law enforcement stopped the couple’s vehicle in June 2025, discovering more than two kilograms of cocaine and a loaded handgun inside the car. Authorities said that Reyes Esquivel and Sanchez intended to distribute the drugs within the Columbus area for personal profit.
Sanchez pleaded guilty in December 2025; Reyes Esquivel entered her plea agreement in April 2026. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sheila G. Lafferty.
United States Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II, and Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge with Homeland Security Investigations Detroit, announced the sentences imposed as part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.