Federal prosecutors say one of Cleveland’s own street enforcers is off the block for a long stretch. Jeffrey Lee, a 25-year-old Cleveland resident who admitted he worked as an enforcer for the Fully Blooded Felons, was sentenced Friday to 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to racketeering, fentanyl trafficking, and firearms offenses. The case capped a multiagency probe that targeted stash houses and what officials describe as an open-air drug market on the city’s east side, with federal authorities arguing the sentence shows they are keeping sustained pressure on violent drug crews in northern Ohio.
According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio, Lee pleaded guilty to Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, fentanyl distribution, and possessing a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. “This defendant, now a fully convicted and sentenced felon, will spend the next 12 years in prison because of his drug dealing and firearm crimes,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said in the release. The office also credited investigators from the Cleveland FBI and the Cleveland Division of Police for the work that led to Lee’s conviction.
Stash Houses and Seizures
Prosecutors say agents executed search warrants at two stash houses inside an apartment complex next to the open-air drug market and seized close to three-quarters of a pound of fentanyl, along with quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine and seven firearms, according to reporting by the Tampa Free Press. Court records state that Lee was present in one of those stash houses during a search and that investigators intercepted text messages in which he asked about the location of a hidden .380-caliber handgun. Prosecutors said the cache of drugs and guns formed a key part of the government’s case at sentencing.
How the Group Ran Things
Federal filings describe the Fully Blooded Felons as an organized criminal enterprise with a governing “Commission,” a strict code of silence known as “omerta,” and a set of rules members were expected to memorize, called the “Fully Five,” according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio. Prosecutors say the group has operated since about 2012 and stretches beyond Cleveland to Akron, Youngstown, and into the Ohio prison system. They argue that this structure helped the organization shield leaders and move drugs and guns throughout the region.
Federal Crackdown Continues
Lee’s sentence is the latest in a string of federal moves against the gang. Earlier this year, Dontez Hammond received an eight-year federal prison term after pleading guilty to RICO-related charges, and a larger superseding indictment unsealed in 2024 charged additional members with murder, kidnapping, and trafficking. Prosecutors say these cases grew out of a multiagency sweep that uncovered open-air markets and stash houses across northern Ohio. Outlets, including WHIO and Cleveland 19 have previously reviewed court filings and law enforcement statements in their coverage of the broader crackdown.
What Officials Say
Local leaders and federal agents cast Lee’s 12-year term as both a win for public safety and a warning shot to the rest of the network. FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Joshua DelManzo said the agency remains focused on dismantling the Fully Blooded Felons’ operations, according to reporting by Spectrum News 1. Prosecutors said investigations are ongoing as they pursue other individuals tied to the enterprise.
