COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury in Columbus has indicted two Mexican nationals, Cristian Melendez, 42, and Ismerio Garcia-Ontivaro, 39, for transporting over three kilograms of cocaine while illegally present in the United States.
The duo was nabbed by law enforcement on I-70 in June when they were stopped for a window tint violation. They allegedly received the Honda Accord with a hidden compartment from a car hauler traveling from Arizona to Columbus.
Melendez and Garcia-Ontivaro have both previously been removed from the United States and convicted of aggravated felony offenses. Melendez’s rap sheet includes trafficking heroin and illegal firearm possession, while Garcia-Ontivaro faced cocaine trafficking charges in North Carolina.
Both defendants face charges of conspiring to possess and possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, as well as illegally reentering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony. The indictment was returned yesterday.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Kevin Raycraft, Acting Field Office Director, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit Field Office, announced the charges. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth A. Geraghty is representing the United States in this case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a joint operation led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security aimed at eradicating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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