A Cuyahoga County man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation that mass-produced thousands of illegal pills and distributed them throughout Ohio.
Thomas Taylor, 43, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 210 months (17.5 years) in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald C. Nugent after pleading guilty in July to the counts included in the second superseding indictment:
- Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
- Distribution of a Controlled Substance. Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
- Maintaining Drug Premises.
- Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition; prior convictions include Felon in Possession of a Firearm in 2019; and Drug Trafficking in 2013 and 2007.
Taylor was also ordered to serve ten years of supervised release following his imprisonment and pay $10,000 in fines. Judge Nugent imposed the sentence on Dec. 3.
Taylor oversaw a large drug trafficking network in northern Ohio, according to court documents and testimony. He recruited a large number of people to help manage his manufacturing operation, which produced fentanyl tablets using chemicals he obtained from contacts in Mexico.
Taylor kept pill-pressing machinery at various homes in the Greater Cleveland area that could produce hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills every day. Agents recovered a number of firearms and ammunition, as well as substantial sums of cash and drug paraphernalia such as scales and plastic bags. More than 3 kilograms of fentanyl, 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, and ½ kilogram of cocaine were seized.
Co-defendant Noreece Young, 53, of Cleveland, pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and is now serving a 180-month (15-year) prison sentence.
The case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division and the Southeast Area Law Enforcement Narcotics Task Force.
Payum Doroodian, Assistant US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, prosecuted the case.