Ohio: Mustafa and Sanabria Sentenced to 120 and 70 Months for Running Paper-Soaking Drug Lab That Smuggled Drugs Into Prisons
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced that two defendants in a drug trafficking conspiracy that spanned from Texas to Ohio have been sentenced to prison. Thaer Mustafa, 41, of North Olmsted, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, was sentenced by Judge Dan Aaron Polster to 120 months (10 years) in prison, and Elyssia Sanabria, 26, of LaGrange, in Lorain County, Ohio, was sentenced to 70 months (5.8 years), after they pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
During a federal investigation into suspected illegal drug activity, Mustafa and Sanabria were identified for sourcing controlled substances to use in paper-soaking laboratories. During a search warrant executed at an apartment in Cleveland, agents caught Mustafa and Sanabria retrieving bags of cocaine and emptying the contents into the toilet. They also located powder, reams of soaking paper, and a gas mask.
Another search conducted at a storefront in Fairview Park revealed bulk amounts of chemicals and equipment known to law enforcement for being used in the production of drug-soaked paper for distribution in prisons. In total, federal investigators seized kilograms of controlled substances and $300,000 in cash. Investigators also seized multiple firearms that were connected to the drug operation.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA Detroit Division's Cleveland Field Office, the FBI Cleveland Division, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Cleveland and Newark offices, DEA San Antonio, and the FBI Laredo Resident Agency. Assistant United States Attorney Segev Philips led the prosecution for the Northern District of Ohio.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：俄亥俄州 Cleveland 的 Carl B. Stokes 联邦法院大楼，本案在此判刑。Warren LeMay 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse in Cleveland, Ohio, where the sentences were imposed. Photo by Warren LeMay, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
