Four Men Charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine

Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that a federal grand jury in Cleveland returned three indictments, culminating a long-term investigation of drug trafficking coordinated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Canton Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The first indictment charges James French, III, Jason E. Canoles, Jose Miguel Estevane, and Alex Noel Mendoza-Cano with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. James French, III, is also charged with possession with intent to distribute one kilogram of cocaine on August 11, 2009, in Canton, Ohio.

Another indictment charges John E. Johnson, Darrell A. Hill, and Ryan C. James with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana. That indictment alleges that Ryan C. James supplied marijuana from California to John E. Johnson, shipped to locations provided by Darrell A. Hill in Canton, Ohio.\

Finally, Mark A. Marshall, Jr. was charged in a four-count indictment with distributing crack cocaine on four separate occasions.

If convicted, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including a defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, a defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

According to Mr. Dettelbach, the investigation was conducted under the U.S. Attorney’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) which is part of a national program that seeks to identify, investigate and prosecute significant drug trafficking enterprises by utilizing multiple investigative and prosecuted resources.

The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Canton Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Stark County Violent Crimes Initiative, a task force coordinated by the Canton Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert E. Bulford, Attorney in Charge, Akron Branch Office, who is also assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.