CLEVELAND – Five individuals, one of them from Mansfield, are heading to federal prison for their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy that trafficked illegal drugs from California to Ohio, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent imposed the following sentences:
Allura Ward, 25, of Mansfield, was sentenced to 165 months (13.75 years) in prison and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances.
- Distribution of Methamphetamine (2 counts).
- Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Terrance Gainer, 29, of Akron, was sentenced to 240 months (20 years) in prison and five years of supervised released after pleading guilty to:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances
- Distribution of Methamphetamine (3 counts).
- Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering.
Darquan Dixon, 27, of Akron, was sentenced to 200 months (16.6 years) in prison and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances.
Genaro Villa, 39, of San Diego, California, was sentenced to 136 months (11.33 years) in prison and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances.
Najiyah Martin, 47, of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced to 24 months (2 years) in prison after pleading guilty to:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances.
Anthony Clark, 31, of Akron, also charged in this case, is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 14 before Judge Charles Esque Fleming after pleading guilty to:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances.
- Distribution of Methamphetamine (3 counts).
In August 2025, a 59-page indictment was unsealed charging the six defendants for operating an interstate drug conspiracy that smuggled large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and other controlled substances from California to Ohio.
According to court documents, from about February 2023 to April 2024, Villa supplied large quantities of drugs from California to Gainer, Clark, Dixon, and Ward. Martin facilitated kilogram-quantity drug deals involving Villa, Clark, and Gainer.
During the investigation, federal agents discovered that methamphetamine and cocaine were routinely mailed from locations in Los Angeles and San Diego and shipped to several cities in Ohio.
Co-conspirators also smuggled drugs in suitcases on commercial flights and then drove to an apartment Gainer maintained in Columbus to drop off the drug shipments. Gainer also recruited additional couriers to help smuggle drugs and cash between California and Ohio.
Once the drugs were transported to Ohio, Gainer, Clark, Dixon, and Ward sold them to customers throughout the state.
Additionally, Ward purchased a pill press machine and more than 55 pounds of pill-binding powder, had them shipped to her home in Mansfield, and then used them to press illicit pills.
In total, federal investigators seized more than 33 pounds (15 kilograms) of methamphetamine and more than two pounds of (1 kilogram) of cocaine that were smuggled from California to Ohio in mail parcels or on airline flights. Investigators also seized multiple firearms that were connected to the drug operation.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA Detroit Division’s Cleveland Field Office, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Cleveland Office, with assistance from the Cleveland MetroParks Police, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, the Wayne County MEDWAY Drug Enforcement Agency, the Cleveland Heights Police Department, the Columbus Division of Police, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.
Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement toward identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.
In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.
The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Cleveland comprises agents and officers from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Assistant United States Attorney James P. Lewis leads the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.