A 43-year-old Cleveland man who prosecutors say ran a cocaine distribution ring out of three West Side stash houses has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison, closing out one of the final chapters in a sprawling federal drug case. U.S. District Judge Benita Pearson handed down the sentence to Juan Colon in Youngstown, along with six years of post-prison supervision.
Colon pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and two counts of possessing cocaine with intent to distribute, according to Cleveland.com. He led the operation out of stash houses on the 4000 block of Archwood Avenue, the 3000 block of West 41st Street, and the 3000 block of Clark Avenue, where the ring mixed and stored drugs before moving them onto the street.
Federal agents built their case using wiretaps and surveillance, and investigators eventually raided the stash houses, seizing about a pound of cocaine, $31,000 in cash, and nine guns. The ring did not just move narcotics — it also sold firearms, and Colon reportedly went as far as setting up cameras to keep watch on law enforcement approaching the properties.
How the Operation Ran Day to Day
Colon obtained his supply from Derek Brantley, 41, of Cleveland Heights, who prosecutors identified as the ring's supplier. Colon coordinated drug payments, directed others on where and when to buy drugs, and used lookouts to help the operation avoid detection, according to the same Cleveland.com report.
Brantley was sentenced separately to 13 years and four months in prison, making him the heaviest-sentenced figure in a case that ultimately swept up 19 people. Ten other defendants pleaded guilty in the broader case, reflecting how thoroughly federal prosecutors were able to build cooperation once the network was exposed.
A Federal Task Force Years in the Making
The case traces back to a 29-count federal indictment unsealed in May 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, charging Colon, Brantley, and 17 other co-defendants, according to federal court records. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio alleged the trafficking ring operated from October 2023 through December 2024, a 14-month stretch during which federal wiretaps and surveillance tracked the conspiracy's growth.
While centered on Cleveland's West Side, the distribution network extended across Northeast Ohio and as far as Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to WKYC. Federal court records also indicate that members of the ring attempted to infiltrate the Ohio state prison system as part of their operations between 2023 and 2024, according to the Chronicle Telegram.
Beyond cocaine, federal and local officers seized quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl during the investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice has said. The case was pursued as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Cleveland Strike Force Initiative, led by the FBI's Cleveland Division, with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert F. Corts. The Strike Force operates a centralized facility co-locating agents from the FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS, U.S. Marshals, Postal Inspection Service, Border Patrol, and Cleveland Police.
Defendants Spanned Several Northeast Ohio Suburbs
The 19 indicted defendants lived across a wide swath of Northeast Ohio, including Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Parma, Parma Heights, Brunswick, Elyria, Avon Lake, North Ridgeville, and Newton Falls, as well as Fort Pierce, Florida, per the Chronicle Telegram's reporting. Then-Acting U.S. Attorney Carol Skutnik announced the original 29-count indictment in May 2025 following a series of coordinated arrests across the region, as WKYC reported at the time. Hoodline first covered the initial 29-count indictment when it was unsealed.
Judge Pearson, who sentenced Colon in Youngstown, was appointed to the federal bench in December 2010 by President Barack Obama, becoming the first African American woman to serve as a federal district judge in Ohio, according to Ballotpedia. As part of his sentence, Colon will serve the first six months of his post-prison supervision on house arrest unless he finds employment.
Colon's sentencing follows Brantley's own case and comes roughly a year after the sprawling indictment first became public, marking one of the last major milestones in a prosecution that pulled together evidence from wiretaps, stash-house raids, and cooperation from ten co-defendants who pleaded guilty along the way. Cleveland.com's Adam Ferrise, who covers federal courts for the outlet and the Plain Dealer and has done so since 2013, reported the sentencing with contributions from the Advance Local Express Desk.
