SENECA COUNTY, Ohio — A Seneca County man was sentenced to prison after prosecutors said he trafficked drugs and cash across the US on behalf of a Mexican cartel.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, 39-year-old Seth Hoover was sentenced in federal court to 35 years in prison for drug trafficking charges. Prosecutors said Hoover, of Republic, Ohio, trafficked drugs and cash for the Sinaloa Cartel from the east coast to the Midwest.
Hoover was found guilty during a trial by jury of the following charges:
- Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl
- Possession of a firearm in the furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
- Being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition
Hoover was arrested during a traffic stop in Ashland County, the department said in the release. An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper searched Hoover's vehicle after authorities said he presented a fake ID, and uncovered a loaded pistol, approximately 1.8 kilograms of fentanyl, drug paraphernalia and other drug trafficking-related items.
Authorities said they determined the total street value of the fentanyl in Hoover's possession to be approximately $120,000.
Hoover was also arrested in 2009 on drug trafficking charges in Seneca County after investigators said they found 90 balloons filled with heroin in a vehicle during a routine traffic stop. In May 2010, Hoover entered a guilty plea for trafficking heroin, and was sentenced to 4 years in prison, according to court records.
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