Man gets 18 months in federal prison

Staff report

CLEVELAND

Jose L. Rojas, 47, of Youngstown, has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after he earlier had pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute crack cocaine.

Rojas, who drew the sentence Wednesday from U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster, was one of 25 Youngstown-area residents named in a federal grand jury indictment last June. Rojas’ prison term will be followed by four years of supervised release.

The drug sales occurred on Youngstown’s East Side and in Campbell, authorities said.

Thirty-seven additional defendants were indicted on state charges.

Last month, Judge Polster sentenced the alleged ring leader, Luis Angel Martinez, 33, of Youngstown, to 10 years in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin and cocaine.

The investigation was labeled “Operation Deja Vu” because Martinez served 18 months in prison on similar charges after a 2004 investigation.

Martinez would obtain heroin from sources in Youngstown, New York City and Buffalo, N.Y., and distribute it to lower- level dealers for sale in the Youngstown area, the indictment said.