FOSTORIA | From 90 Pounds of Cocaine to a 7-Year Investigation: A Look Back at 2026’s Drug Arrests by METRICH, DEA and Fostoria Police

Author: FFP Ai Bot

FOSTORIA — From a federal case over about 90 pounds of suspected cocaine found in the basement of a downtown gym to an Oct. 13 arrest that the county drug task force said capped a seven-year investigation, 2026 has been a busy year for drug enforcement in Fostoria.

Below is a look at the major drug cases made public so far this year by the Seneca County Drug Task Force–METRICH Enforcement Unit, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Fostoria Police Department, based on court records, law enforcement releases and news reports.

Charges are accusations, not findings of guilt. Everyone named in a 2026 case below is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. None of the 2026 cases listed here has ended in a conviction.

The Power Up case: about 42 kilograms of suspected cocaine

The largest case of the year is a federal one. Epolito Rodriguez, 33, owner of the Power Up gym at 106 N. Main St., is charged in U.S. District Court in Toledo with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, according to court records and reporting by WTOL 11 and 13 Action News.

Epolito Rodriguez, 33, charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine (Photo: Fostoria Free Press file). Charges are accusations; Epolito Rodriguez has not been convicted.

According to an affidavit filed by a DEA task force officer, investigators with the DEA and the Ohio State Highway Patrol began looking into Rodriguez in late 2025 after receiving information that he was selling bulk quantities of cocaine and using the business to support the operation.

On Feb. 16, investigators conducting surveillance saw Rodriguez’s vehicle near a semi-truck with California plates in Findlay, the affidavit says. That night, the semi was stopped near Columbus, and authorities said they found $665,480 in cash in duct-taped packages under the mattress in the sleeper.

When agents searched Power Up and Rodriguez’s home on Feb. 19, they reported finding two large duffel bags in the gym’s basement holding about 40 kilogram bricks of suspected cocaine, plus two more kilograms elsewhere in the building, a scale and about $13,000 in cash, some of it hidden in a shoebox in an office ceiling. At his home, they reported seizing $139,100. In all, authorities say they seized roughly 42 kilograms of suspected cocaine and more than $800,000 in cash.

Federal court records show Rodriguez was arrested Feb. 25 and indicted March 4. He pleaded not guilty March 9. After a May 5 hearing, a federal judge ordered him to remain in custody while the case is pending. The gym closed in early March; in a Facebook post reported by WTOL, the business said it “was never a ‘front’ for anything.”

Federal drug cases in the Toledo area are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

Feb. 9: Four Fostoria homes searched at once

On Feb. 9, METRICH, Fostoria police and several other agencies — including the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, Tiffin police, the Adult Parole Authority and Hancock County’s drug task force and special response team — served search warrants at four Fostoria homes at the same time, according to a task force release.

The warrants, signed by Seneca County Common Pleas Judge Damon Alt, were served at homes on Cory Street, West Jackson Street, West Culbertson Street and North Union Street. The task force identified the residents as Marcel Fuller, 27; Joe Esquivel, 22; Florentino Rodriguez, 34; and Dion Tey Jr., 29.

Investigators reported seizing a significant amount of cash, suspected cocaine and multiple firearms. Tey was arrested on suspicion of tampering with evidence and having weapons under disability, and Florentino Rodriguez was arrested on a parole violation. The task force said additional charges, including weapons under disability, possessing criminal tools, trafficking in cocaine and conspiracy, were pending for those involved. Fuller and Esquivel were not reported as arrested.

Feb. 12: Suspected fentanyl seized on North Main Street

Three days later, METRICH and Fostoria police searched a home in the 1100 block of North Main Street that the task force identified as the residence of Matthew Bernal, 34. The warrant was signed by Fostoria Municipal Court Judge Rhonda Best.

Officers reported seizing criminal tools and a significant quantity of suspected fentanyl. The task force said Bernal was expected to face multiple first-degree felony counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs once the investigation was complete. “The Fostoria Police Department and the Seneca County Drug Task Force remain committed to enforcing drug laws and protecting our community, regardless of the number of ongoing investigations,” Fostoria Police Chief Gabe Wedge said in the release.

March 25: Crack cocaine and a gun on Beier Drive

On March 25, METRICH, Fostoria police and the Hancock County drug task force served a warrant signed by Judge Alt at an apartment on Beier Drive. The task force said it seized suspected crack cocaine, a firearm, criminal tools and cash.

Andre A. Moorer, 22, of Fostoria, was arrested on suspicion of possession of crack cocaine, child endangerment and having weapons under disability, with trafficking and criminal-tools charges pending, according to the release. He was taken to the Seneca County Jail.

September: Federal indictment adds four defendants

The Power Up case grew in September. A superseding indictment filed under seal Sept. 2 and unsealed Sept. 14 adds four defendants to the federal case against Epolito Rodriguez: Miguel Gonzalez-Garcia, Randolph Langston, Terry D’Keith Nelson and Mercedes Rodriguez, according to the federal court docket.

Mercedes Rodriguez, charged in a federal superseding indictment on drug charges (Photo: Fostoria Free Press file). Charges are accusations; Mercedes Rodriguez has not been convicted.

The docket shows Mercedes Rodriguez and Nelson were arrested Sept. 11 and scheduled for arraignment Sept. 14 in Toledo. Each defendant faces one or more counts on federal drug charges; the public docket does not spell out the specific offense in each count, and the Free Press has not reviewed the indictment itself. Ages and hometowns for the four new defendants have not been released. The case remains pending.

Oct. 13: Arrest ends what task force calls a 7-year investigation

Most recently, the Seneca County Drug Task Force said a seven-year investigation led to the arrest of Shaquiel Taylor at a home in the 400 block of North Wood Street on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 13 Action News reported.

Shaquiel Taylor, 35, charged with drug trafficking (Photo: Seneca County Sheriff’s Office). Charges are accusations; Shaquiel Taylor has not been convicted.

According to the task force, the search turned up suspected narcotics, cash, criminal tools and other items indicative of drug trafficking. Taylor was jailed on a drug trafficking charge, and the agency said charges of possession and child endangerment could be added, along with charges against other people involved. The type and amount of drugs seized have not been released.

Seneca County jail records list Taylor as 35 and show he was booked Oct. 13 on a single drug trafficking charge in Seneca County Common Pleas Court, with bail set at $500,000 cash.

Residents with tips can call the METRICH crime hotline at 419-443-0463, ext. 1140.

Looking back: the 2005 Luna drug ring

Large drug cases with Fostoria ties are not new. In October 2005, a federal indictment unsealed in Toledo accused a Fostoria-based organization of distributing large quantities of cocaine and marijuana across northwest Ohio for about 15 years, The Blade reported at the time.

Prosecutors alleged that brothers Ramiro Luna, then 39, and Heriberto Luna, then 35, both of Fostoria, obtained hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and hundreds of pounds of marijuana from sources in Chicago, Detroit, Texas and Mexico, and supplied 14 other defendants, using Fostoria as a home base. Each of the 16 defendants was charged with one count of conspiring to possess cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana with intent to distribute. The DEA, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation and the Metrich drug unit took part in the five-year investigation.

Court judgments in the case, United States v. Luna (No. 3:05-cr-00783), are posted on the federal government’s GovInfo site. They show these defendants pleaded guilty to the conspiracy count and were sentenced as follows:

• Arnold Escobar Jr.: initially sentenced to 80 months in federal prison in 2007, to run alongside a sentence in a separate federal case; an amended judgment in 2008 changed the term to time served.
• James T. Hernandez: 55 months.
• Juan M. Martinez Jr.: 37 months.
• Damian T. Tey: 30 months.
• Joaquin Hernandez: 30 months.
• Ancelmo Rodriguez Jr.: initially 30 months, later amended to time served.
• Maria S. Hernandez-Rodriguez: 28 months.
• Angela Jaso: 12 months and one day.
• David K. Scott: time served.
• Miguel A. Flores: pleaded guilty; his final term is not stated in the court records the Free Press reviewed.

Erica Valenti: six years in a Wood County case

Erica Valenti, then 32, of Fostoria, was also named in the 2005 federal indictment, alongside Damian T. Tey and the other defendants. She was also prosecuted separately in Wood County. A Wood County jury convicted her on June 3, 2005, of two counts of trafficking in cocaine, and the trial court sentenced her to three years in prison on each count, to be served consecutively, for a total of six years, according to a 2006 ruling by Ohio’s Sixth District Court of Appeals. The jury found her not guilty on a third trafficking count.

According to the appeals court, the convictions stemmed from two cocaine deals in Fostoria involving a confidential source. On Feb. 8, 2005, Valenti handed about 4.5 ounces of cocaine to Ronald Stuart, who sold it to the source for $4,900. On March 9, 2005, Stuart and the source left Valenti’s apartment with about half a kilogram of cocaine, and DEA agents then arrested Stuart. Stuart, of Toledo, was also a defendant in the federal case.

The appeals court upheld her convictions but sent the case back for resentencing under a 2006 Ohio Supreme Court decision that changed the state’s sentencing law. In December 2006 she received the same sentence, three years on each count served consecutively, and the appeals court upheld that sentence in 2007. The federal court records the Free Press reviewed do not show how her federal charge was resolved.

The Free Press could not find published outcomes for Ramiro Luna, Heriberto Luna or the remaining federal defendants.

Over the years, rumors have circulated in Fostoria that local police officers were involved in the drug trade at the time. Court records and news coverage reviewed by the Free Press show no officer was charged in connection with the Luna ring.

All 2026 charges described in this article are accusations; every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The Fostoria Free Press will update these cases as they move through the courts.

#Fostoria #METRICH #SenecaCounty #FostoriaPolice

Sources

• WTOL 11: More than $800,000 in cash, about 90 pounds of drugs seized in federal case tied to Fostoria gym (March 2026) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/fostoria-power-up-owner-charged-federal-cocaine-case-800k-seized/512-1368e382-8deb-4063-80fc-5ed036b4503f
• 13 Action News (WTVG): Fostoria business owner arrested for allegedly selling bulk cocaine (March 4, 2026) – https://www.13abc.com/2026/03/04/fostoria-business-owner-arrested-allegedly-selling-bulk-cocaine/
• Columbus Dispatch: Ohio gym owner charged after $800,000 and 90 pounds of cocaine seized (March 4, 2026) – https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2026/03/04/ohio-gym-owner-charged-800000-dollars-90-pounds-of-cocaine-drugs-seized/88981346007/
• WTOL 11: Fostoria gym closing doors weeks after owner arrested on drug charges (March 5, 2026) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/power-up-fostoria-gym-closing-doors-weeks-after-owner-arrested-on-drug-charges/512-1d9f9b58-7fd7-4236-9833-772c142b6e6e
• U.S. District Court, N.D. Ohio, USA v. Rodriguez, No. 3:26-mj-05080 (PacerMonitor) – https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/63323317/USA_v_Rodriguez
• U.S. District Court, N.D. Ohio, USA v. Rodriguez et al., No. 3:26-cr-00098 (CourtListener RECAP docket) – https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72361971/united-states-v-rodriguez/
• WKXA / Seneca County Drug Task Force: Drugs, Guns Seized During Multi-Agency Operation (Feb. 13, 2026) – https://wkxa.com/local-news/drugs-guns-seized-during-multi-agency-operation/
• Advertiser-Tribune: Raid yields drugs, guns, cash in Fostoria (Feb. 12, 2026) – https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/763676/raid-yields-drugs-guns-cash-in-fostoria/
• WKXA / Seneca County Drug Task Force: Drug Task Force Seizes Suspected Fentanyl During Search Warrant (Feb. 13, 2026) – https://wkxa.com/local-news/drug-task-force-seizes-suspected-fentanyl-during-search-warrant/
• Advertiser-Tribune: Drug task force, Fostoria PD seize fentanyl (Feb. 2026) – https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/763683/drug-task-force-fostoria-pd-seize-fentanyl/
• WFIN / Seneca County Drug Task Force: Man Arrested In Connection With Drug Task Force Investigation (March 27, 2026) – https://wfin.com/local-news/man-arrested-in-connection-with-drug-task-force-investigation/
• Advertiser-Tribune: Fostoria raid leads to arrest, crack found (March 26, 2026) – https://advertiser-tribune.com/news/841087/fostoria-raid-leads-to-arrest-crack-found/
• 13 Action News (WTVG): Fostoria man arrested in Fostoria for drug trafficking (Oct. 15, 2026) – https://www.13abc.com/2026/10/15/fostoria-man-arrested-drug-trafficking/
• The Blade: 16 named in drug indictment (Oct. 12, 2005) – https://www.toledoblade.com/local/police-fire/2005/10/12/16-named-in-drug-indictment/stories/200510120048
• GovInfo: United States of America v. Luna et al., No. 3:05-cr-00783 (court orders and judgments) – https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-ohnd-3_05-cr-00783
• Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals: State v. Valenti, 2006-Ohio-3380, Wood County No. WD-05-046, trial court No. 05-CR-135 (June 30, 2006) – https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/6/2006/2006-Ohio-3380.pdf
• Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals: State v. Valenti, 2007-Ohio-4911 (Sept. 21, 2007) – https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/6/2007/2007-Ohio-4911.pdf
• Fostoria Free Press Media Library: file booking photos of Epolito Rodriguez and Mercedes Rodriguez (media ID 147208, Sept. 17, 2026) – https://thefostoriafreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-17-at-10.43.24-AM.jpg
• Seneca County Sheriff’s Office Inmate Locator: Taylor, Shaquiel, booking No. 2026001498 (booking photo and charge record, accessed Oct. 16, 2026) – https://inmatelocator.tiffinohio.gov/InmateLocator/