$2 Million Of Drug Money, A Ton Of Weed: Ohio Drug Ring Charges

WILLOUGHBY, OH — More than $2 million in drug profits were allegedly laundered after one ton of marijuana was moved from California to warehouses in Wickliffe, Willoughby, and Euclid, Ohio and then sold in the area. Nine people have been indicted in federal court for their suspected roles in the drug ring.

The Department of Justice announced the charges against the group on Friday. Many of the accused hail from the east side of Northeast Ohio, including cities like Chardon, Mentor, Willoughby and Cleveland Heights.

The seven-count indictment against the group says that starting in 2014, two people used a company called Specialized Transportation Inc. (STI), a commercial carrier, to send pallets filled with marijuana from California to warehouses on Anderson Drive in Wicklifee, Airport Parkway in Willoughby, and Tungsten Road in Euclid.

Four local distributors would get packages of marijuana and then sell them throughout Northeast Ohio. Some of the proceeds from the sales of the drugs were pooled and sent back to the two shippers in California. The money was allegedly sent on pallets, via STI, the Department of Justice's indictment says. The pallets were labelled as computer parts, from companies that did not exist.

The Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigations department, the DEA, Lake County Narcotics, and Geauga County Narcotics investigated the alleged weed ring. The nine people named in the indictment are:

• Aaron L. Eisenberg, 39, of California and formerly of Lake County;
• Jack Morgan, 53, of California;
• Jacob Lesiak, 40, of Chardon,
• Margaret Garcia, 40, of Chardon;
• Gary Baldwin, 43, of Huntsburg;
• Trevor Marlyne, 32, of Cleveland Heights;
• Robert Ross, 47, of Florida;
• Brian Teachout, 38, of Mentor, and
• Richard Warren, 43, of Willoughby.

All nine people are being charged with engaging in a money laundering conspiracy. Eisenberg, Morgan, Jacob Lesiak, Garcia, Baldwin, Warren and Teachout are also charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

Two other people – Corrie Lesiak, 40, of Chardon, and Cynthia Hounshell, 61, of Concord – have also been indicted on related money laundering charges, the Department of Justice said.

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