Akron, Ohio – Five people have been sentenced to federal prison for taking part in an interstate drug trafficking conspiracy that moved large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and other controlled substances from California to Ohio through the mail, commercial airline flights and drug couriers.
U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent handed down sentences ranging from two years to 20 years in prison for the five defendants. A sixth defendant who pleaded guilty in the same case is scheduled to be sentenced in October.
Terrance Gainer, 29, of Akron, received the longest sentence. He was ordered to serve 240 months, or 20 years, in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Gainer had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, three counts of distribution of methamphetamine and interstate travel in aid of racketeering.
Darquan Dixon, 27, also of Akron, was sentenced to 200 months, or about 16 years and eight months, in prison. He will serve five years of supervised release after completing his prison term. Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Allura Ward, 25, of Mansfield, received a 165 month prison sentence, equal to 13 years and nine months, followed by five years of supervised release. Ward pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Genaro Villa, 39, of San Diego, California, was sentenced to 136 months, or about 11 years and four months, in prison followed by five years of supervised release. He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Najiyah Martin, 47, of Los Angeles, received a two year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the drug conspiracy charge.
Drugs moved from California to communities across Ohio
The case became public in August 2025, when a 59 page federal indictment was unsealed against six defendants accused of operating an interstate drug trafficking conspiracy.
According to court documents, the operation ran from approximately February 2023 until April 2024 and involved moving significant quantities of illegal drugs from California into Ohio.
Federal investigators identified Villa as a supplier who provided large amounts of drugs from California to Gainer, Anthony Clark, Dixon and Ward. Martin was accused of helping arrange kilogram quantity drug transactions involving Villa, Clark and Gainer.
Investigators found that the organization used several methods to move its supply across the country.
Methamphetamine and cocaine were routinely placed in packages and mailed from locations in Los Angeles and San Diego to several Ohio cities. But the mail was not the only transportation method allegedly used by the group.
Members of the conspiracy also carried illegal drugs inside suitcases aboard commercial airline flights. After arriving, couriers would drive to an apartment maintained by Gainer in Columbus and deliver the shipments there.
Authorities said Gainer recruited additional couriers to transport both illegal drugs and cash between Ohio and California, helping maintain the flow of drugs into the state and money back toward the suppliers.
Once the shipments arrived in Ohio, Gainer, Clark, Dixon and Ward distributed the drugs to customers in different parts of the state.
Ward was also linked to an operation involving the production of illicit pills. According to federal authorities, she purchased a pill press and more than 55 pounds of pill binding powder and had the equipment and material delivered to her Mansfield home. She then used them to manufacture illicit pills.
Investigators seize methamphetamine, cocaine, and firearms
The federal investigation resulted in the seizure of substantial quantities of drugs.
Authorities recovered more than 33 pounds, or approximately 15 kilograms, of methamphetamine that had been transported from California to Ohio. Investigators also seized more than two pounds, or approximately one kilogram, of cocaine.
The drugs had been moved through mail parcels or carried on commercial flights, according to court documents.
Multiple firearms connected to the trafficking operation were also seized during the investigation.
One defendant in the case has yet to receive his sentence.
Anthony Clark, 31, of Akron, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and three counts of distribution of methamphetamine.
Clark is scheduled to appear for sentencing on Oct. 14 before U.S. District Judge Charles Esque Fleming.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Detroit Division’s Cleveland Field Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Cleveland Office.
Several local law enforcement agencies provided assistance during the investigation, including Cleveland MetroParks Police, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, the Wayne County MEDWAY Drug Enforcement Agency and the Cleveland Heights Police.
The prison sentences close a major part of the federal case against an organization that investigators said used several transportation methods and a network of participants to move kilogram quantities of drugs more than 2,000 miles from California to Ohio. With five defendants now sentenced and Clark awaiting his October sentencing, federal proceedings in the case are continuing.
