Cleveland, OH

Arizona man sentenced for shipping fentanyl across country into Northeast Ohio

Published

1 year ago

August 6, 2023

Arizona man sentenced for shipping fentanyl across country into Northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio this week sentenced a 37-year-old Arizona man after being found guilty of shipping fentanyl from across the country into Northeast Ohio.

A U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ) spokesperson said the judge sentenced Solomon Odubajo, of Tempe, Arizona, to 248 months, or approximately 20.66 years, in prison after being found guilty of all six charges in his indictment related to the incident.

According to a USDOJ press release, Odubajo mailed a package with the fentanyl, shaped as counterfeit pills, from Phoenix to an address in Garfield Heights in April 2022.

U.S. Postal Inspectors after obtaining a search warrant for the package found approximately one kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, of those counterfeit pills hidden inside of a vacuum cleaner.

The DOJ said U.S. Postal Inspectors made the package available for pickup as part of an undercover operation on April 14, 2022, which led to Odubajo’s arrest after bringing the package to a residence in Avon.

Police searched the 37-year-old’s car after arresting him and found a hidden compartment containing a loaded handgun and approximately $17,500 in case, the DOJ said.

The DOJ also said police found another 0.5 kilograms, or 1.1 pounds, of the counterfeit pills inside the Avon residence.

DOJ officials said a testimony from a Cuyahoga County Regional Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CCRFS) chemist revealed there were approximately 10,000 pills in the original parcel and an additional 5,000 pills in the residence.

A jury on April 27, 2023 found Odubajo guilty of the following crimes:

Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl
Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering
Attempted Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl
Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl
Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime
Felon in Possession of a Firearm

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Cleveland, OH

Snow emergencies, parking bans issued in these Northeast Ohio cities

Published

4 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Snow emergencies, parking bans issued in these Northeast Ohio cities

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Drivers may face dangerous conditions while traveling in Northeast Ohio.

Summit County Sheriff’s Office issued a Level 1 Snow Emergency Saturday morning for hazards with blowing and drifting snow.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office urges motorists to drive carefully.

Several local officials have issued snow parking bans so plows can clear streets.

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Here’s a list of active parking bans in our area. The list will be updated.

Cuyahoga County

North Olmsted: The city of North Olmsted has a snow parking ban going into effect at 7 p.m. Thursday. The city will advise when it’s lifted.
North Royalton: There is currently a snow parking ban.
Beachwood: The city has declared a snow parking ban and will advise when it’s lifted.

Summit County

Tallmadge: The city of Tallmadge’s snow parking ban goes into effect at 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, until 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Mogadore: The parking ban is in effect from 7 a.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday.

Lorain County

Lorain: The city of Lorain issued a citywide emergency snow parking ban, starting at 6 p.m. Thursday and ending at 6 p.m. Saturday.
North Ridgeville: There is a snow emergency parking ban in effect from 4 a.m. Thursday to noon Friday.

Stark County

Lake Township: There is a snow emergency parking ban in effect from 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday.
Plain Township: There is a snow emergency parking ban in effect from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 4 p.m. Monday.

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Cleveland, OH

TSA stopped less firearms at Ohio airports in 2024

Published

12 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

TSA stopped less firearms at Ohio airports in 2024

CLEVELAND, OHIO- Transportation Security Administration officers stopped 31 handguns at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport security checkpoints in 2024, a decrease from the 38 detected in 2023. At John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH), the figure was 48 firearms intercepted, a drop from the record-setting 55 detected the prior year.

Nationwide, TSA officers stopped a total of 6,678 firearms, 18 firearms per day on average, at TSA checkpoints last year. Approximately 94% of these firearms were loaded. This total is down slightly from the agency’s record 6,737 firearms stopped in 2023.

Throughout 2024, TSA managed its “Prepare, Pack, Declare” public awareness campaign to explain the steps for safely traveling with a firearm. Firearms at TSA checkpoints represent an unnecessary risk and an expensive mistake for passengers who do not follow proper packing guidance for firearms in checked baggage.

“Bringing a firearm to the checkpoint is a careless, dangerous mistake that can be easily avoided,” Ohio TSA Federal Security Director Don Barker said. “When individuals bring firearms to our checkpoints, they are introducing a risk to everyone in the area. These incidents also slow down the checkpoint screening process for other travelers because when a firearm is detected, all activity in the lane comes to a complete halt until police arrive. Unloaded firearms can be packed with checked baggage and declared to the airline.”

In 2024, TSA screened more than 904 million individuals. The agency intercepted 7.4 firearms per million passengers, a drop from 7.8 per million passengers in 2023. Stated another way, TSA detected one firearm for every 135,383 travelers screened.

Cleveland passengers brought guns to the airport at rates below the national average. At CLE, TSA screened nearly 5.5 million departing passengers and crew in 2024. TSA officers at CLE discovered firearms in carry-on luggage at a rate of 5.7 firearms per million passengers screened. This calculates to a rate of one firearm discovery for every 176,532 travelers screened.

In Columbus, the rate was above the national average. At CMH, TSA screened nearly 5 million departing passengers and crew in 2024. TSA officers at CMH discovered firearms in carry-on luggage at a rate of 9.7 firearms per million passengers screened. This calculates to a rate of one firearm discovery for every 103,554 travelers screened.

When a firearm is detected at a security checkpoint, TSA officers immediately contact local law enforcement, who remove the passenger and the firearm from the checkpoint area. Depending on local laws, the law enforcement officer may arrest or cite the passenger. TSA does not confiscate firearms.

In addition to law enforcement action, TSA fines passengers who bring a firearm to a TSA checkpoint with a civil penalty up to about $15,000, revokes TSA PreCheck® eligibility for at least five years and may conduct enhanced screening to ensure there are no other threats present.

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms in checked baggage if they are unloaded, packed separately from ammunition in a locked hardback case and declared at the airline check-in counter. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should check for firearm laws in the jurisdictions they are flying to and from.

TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

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Cleveland, OH

NBA Rumors: Cavs 'Reluctant' to Make Trades That Could Hurt Chemistry Before Deadline

Published

20 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

NBA Rumors: Cavs 'Reluctant' to Make Trades That Could Hurt Chemistry Before Deadline

David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the best record in the league as a result of both outstanding play and great chemistry.

As the trade deadline nears, the Cavs are reportedly listening to offers but are hesitant to make any moves that could disrupt the team’s chemistry, per NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.

“Beyond its four mainstays, Cleveland is said to be listening to pitches but generally reluctant to do any sort of trade-deadline tinkering given how good the chemistry has been during the Atkinson Era,” Stein and Fischer wrote.

At this point in the season, the Cavaliers don’t have much of a reason to be active around the trade deadline. They are off to a historically good 34-5 start and sit firmly in first place in the Eastern Conference.

As Stein and Fischer noted, any trades likely wouldn’t feature Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen. It wouldn’t be surprising if Cleveland wanted to keep all of the players in its regular rotation to ensure it doesn’t disrupt the chemistry they’ve developed.

If the Cavs decide to make some moves before the deadline, there could be a handful of players around the league hoping to be included in a package. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported last week that Cleveland has become a desirable location this season.

“Something interesting has happened this year with the Cavs, I’ve had multiple agents tell me that their players want to play in Cleveland,” Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland. “Part of it is because they know that Dan Gilbert will spend money and that if they trade for their client, their client can get paid. Part of it is they like the way the Cavs are playing, stuff like that. That is an indication to me that they’re being well-received. The way they’re playing is being well-received.”

Whether the Cavs opt to have an active trade deadline will be determined within the next month, but the roster they have at the moment seems more than capable of competing for a championship.

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