TOLEDO, OH – A sprawling drug conspiracy allegedly masterminded from inside an Ohio prison has been dismantled, with thirteen individuals indicted on federal charges, Grimy Times has learned. The operation, which trafficked heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine across state lines, was allegedly controlled by Fernando Auces, 50, currently incarcerated at Grafton Correctional Institution.
The 30-count federal indictment, unsealed today, names Auces alongside Ricardo Morales-Almazan, 32, currently at FCI Big Spring in Texas; Alejandro Sanchez, 33, of Toledo; Roberto Agapito Vallejo-Becerra, 50, at East Hidalgo Detention Center in Texas; Alexander Gonzales, 38, at Southern Ohio Correctional Institution (Lucasville); Tammy Gibson, 40, of Akron; Javier Jimenez, 39, of Toledo; Noe Reyes, 33, at FCI Lucero in Alabama; Randy Koelblin, 39, of Cincinnati; Jasmine Reyes, 29, of Omaha, Neb.; Jenneth De La Rosa, 58, of Toledo; Daniel Ulis, 40, of Toledo and Anthony King, 41, currently at Ross Correctional Institution (Chillicothe). All 13 face Count 1: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.
According to the indictment, Auces, while initially housed at Allen Correctional Institute in Lima, Ohio, used a contraband cell phone to coordinate the drug operation. He allegedly enlisted the help of Almazan and others to arrange deliveries and sales of the narcotics. Between 2010 and 2014, Auces and his crew funneled large quantities of heroin into Ohio from suppliers in Indiana and Texas. He tapped friends and family – including Almazan, De La Rosa, Sanchez, Ulis, King, Jimenez and Koelblin – to receive and distribute the drugs throughout cities like Cleveland, Toledo, and beyond.
The conspiracy didn’t stop there. Auces reportedly struck a deal with fellow inmate Alexander Gonzales at Southern Ohio Correctional Institution, agreeing to share customers and suppliers. Gonzales was then tasked with distributing drugs to locations including Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Dayton, and Cincinnati. The indictment further details substantive counts of distribution of methamphetamine or heroin (Counts 2-7), the use of communication facilities to facilitate the felony (Counts 8-28), and traveling interstate to distribute heroin (Counts 29-30). Prosecutors are also seeking to forfeit $37,050 in cash seized from a Toledo storage locker on April 4, 2014.
“This was a major interstate drug ring run from inside a prison cell,” stated U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Steven M. Dettelbach. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners those who were helping this drug trafficker from the outside will soon be joining him behind bars. We will continue to work together to reduce the supply of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.” Stephen D. Anthony, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland Office, added, “Refuge from law enforcement can’t be found behind a prison wall.”
Marlon Miller, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Detroit, emphasized the scope of the takedown: “Our collective enforcement efforts in this investigation have effectively shut down an operation that allegedly funneled copious amounts of illegal drugs into this community.” The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vasile C. Katsaros and Christian H. Stickan, with support from Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Margaret Tomaro of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. The investigation was conducted by the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Task Force (NOLETF). Expect more arrests as the investigation continues to unravel the full extent of this prison-controlled network.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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