After a multi-year federal investigation, a 38-year-old man was sentenced to prison for his role as the leader of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that sold lethal controlled narcotics across Northeast Ohio.
Jerone Tate, 38, of Westlake, Ohio, was sentenced to 292 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John R. Adams after pleading guilty in July 2025 to the following charges:
Conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances (fentanyl and cocaine)
- Distribution of a Controlled Substance (cocaine)
- Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance (fentanyl)
- Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance (cocaine)
Tate was also forced to serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
In 2021, federal authorities initiated an investigation into a large-scale narcotics trafficking enterprise that they believed Tate managed. During the inquiry, Tate was determined to be responsible for coordinating and distributing massive amounts of cocaine and fentanyl throughout Northeast Ohio.
Agents executed various DTO-related search warrants and raided a Cleveland residence, Tate’s personal residence in Avon Lake, and a business he operated in Richmond Heights.
Throughout the investigation agents seized:
- Approximately 1,902 grams of cocaine
- Approximately 494.2 grams of fentanyl
- Approximately 112.53 grams of fentanyl analogue
- Approximately 19 kilograms of marijuana
- Approximately $63,111 in cash
- A drug press, cellphones, drug ledgers, and other drug paraphernalia.
Terrill Colbert, 40, of Cleveland, previously pleaded guilty to his involvement in the DTO and is now receiving a 10-year jail sentence.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives together conducted the investigation.
Payum Doroodian, Assistant US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, prosecuted this case.