Nearly a dozen people were arrested in two states on Wednesday for their alleged role in shipping more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana from California to Northeast Ohio, according to a federal indictment.
Dozens of Drug Enforcement Agents, U.S. Marshals, Lake County Narcotics Agents, along with several other local and state police, executed arrest warrants early Wednesday morning.
"They shipped in excess of 2,000 pounds of marijuana here," said DEA Assistant Special Agent Keith Martin.
Only News 5 cameras were rolling as the arrest warrants were executed simultaneously in Northeast Ohio and Southern California.
"They were distributing hundreds of pounds of marijuana which resulted in millions of dollars in proceeds," added Martin.
Aaron L. Eisenberg, Jack W. Morgan, Jacob A. Lesiak, Brian M. Teachout, Margaret L. Garcia, Gary L. Baldwin, Richard E. Warren, Trevor C. Marlyne, Robert E. Ross, Corrie L. Lesiak, and Cynthia A. Hounshell were indicted for distributing large amounts of marijuana and/or laundering U.S. currency.
According to the indictment, the marijuana was shipped from California to warehouses in Euclid, Wickcliffe and Willoughby with large amounts of money shipped back to California.
"It came in on pallets through a shipping company, the shipping company had no idea what they were transporting," added Martin.
The indictment alleges the drugs were shipped in pallets that were labeled as computer parts and with names of companies that do not exist.
More than a million dollars in cash, drugs, cars and weapons were seized during the three-year-long investigation, said Martin.
Lake County Narcotics Agency, Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Marshals Service, Willoughby Police Department, Wickliffe Police Department, Euclid Police Department, Cleveland Police Department, Cleveland Heights Police Department, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department, Geauga County Sheriff's Department, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Customs and Border Patrol were among the agencies involved in this investigation.
