The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio has concluded 2024 with significant accomplishments. The OCDETF is tasked with prosecuting criminal organizations violating federal laws across 40 northern counties in Ohio.
Operating as an independent part of the U.S. Department of Justice, OCDETF stands as the largest anti-crime task force nationwide. Its mission is to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations through a strategy that involves targeting, coordination, intelligence-sharing, and resource allocation to impact organized crime operations effectively.
The task force's approach promotes collaboration among various federal and local agencies, allowing agents and officers to work together under the guidance of a federal prosecutor. This model enables different agencies to share information and conduct multi-jurisdictional operations aimed at dismantling large-scale criminal networks involved in transnational crimes such as drug cartels and racketeering organizations. These activities include illegal smuggling and trafficking of narcotics, weapons, humans, or concealing proceeds from illicit activities within the Northern District of Ohio.
In this district, agents from multiple federal agencies including the FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, USMS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, IRS, and USBP collaborate on OCDETF cases with ties to the area. They work alongside task force officers from local law enforcement agencies like the Cleveland Division of Police. The prosecutions are led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko stated: “No one group or agency can effectively combat organized crime, and particularly transnational organized crime while working in a silo. The OCDETF framework allows our federal investigative agents to coordinate with each other and local law enforcement, sharing both resources and intelligence.” She emphasized that this model helps build strong cases against members of large-scale criminal networks.
Several notable operations were prosecuted by OCDETF in 2024:
- In "U.S. v. Ojeda-Elenes et al.", four individuals linked to the Sinaloa Cartel were sentenced for a drug conspiracy involving fentanyl and cocaine.
- "U.S. v. Mullins et al." saw 21 members of a violent street gang charged with crimes including RICO conspiracy and murder in aid of racketeering.
- In "U.S. v. Whittaker et al.", 15 people were indicted after authorities seized over 42,000 fentanyl pills.
- "U.S. v. Bryant et al." resulted in Brandon Bryant receiving over 30 years in prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking organization.
- Lastly, "U.S. v. Lumbus et al." involved charges against 11 people for an international drug trafficking conspiracy importing synthetic drugs into the U.S.
For reporting crimes related to these issues or others within their scope visit https://tips.fbi.gov/home.