CLEVELAND — Javier Delgado-Ortiz, 38, was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison — after which he will be deported — for his role in a drug enterprise operating in Youngstown and Austintown last year.

Another member of the enterprise, Hector Delira-Rico, 25, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison earlier this month.

Judge James S. Gwin in U.S. District Court ordered last week that Delgado-Ortiz be credited for time already spent behind bars and ordered that Delgado-Ortiz serve two years of probation when he leaves prison.

Delgado-Ortiz was sentenced by teleconference last week after pleading guilty earlier to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Among the conditions of his release after serving his sentence is that he will surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Department of Homeland Security for deportation, according to court documents.

He will not be allowed to re-enter or remain in the United States, documents state.

Court documents state that Delira-Rico was among five men working together to distribute cocaine from homes at 4046 Kirk Road in Austintown and 3514 Dover Road in Youngstown in 2019.

The affidavit states Jose Francisco Espinoza-Medina, 30, arrived in the United States by flying into Dallas from Aguascalientes, Mexico, on May 10, 2019, and went to a home on Kirk Road belonging to Jose Guadalupe Vasquez-Rios, 32.

The affidavit describes the movements of Delira-Rico, Espinoza-Medina, and others throughout the summer and fall of last year, including Espinoza-Medina and two unknown males removing the cap from a pickup truck and storing it in the garage on Kirk Road on May 12, then placing it back on the truck two days later.

Delira-Rico and Delgado-Ortiz arrived at the Kirk Road home Sept. 19 after crossing the border from Mexico into the United States on Sept. 17, the affidavit states.

On Sept. 20, Delira-Rico, Casimiro Hidalgo-Herrera, 29, and Delgado-Ortiz went into the Family Dollar store at 3373 Canfield Road in Youngstown, and Delira-Rico bought headphones, energy drinks and about 2,000 rubber bands. Investigators noted that drug dealers often use rubber bands to band large amounts of U.S. currency.

On Sept. 24, Espinoza-Medina crossed into Ohio from Indiana, and an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper made a traffic stop because of a driving violation, the affidavit states.

His vehicle was searched and troopers found a hidden compartment in the truck’s cap that contained 18 kilograms of cocaine, causing federal investigators to obtain a search warrant for the homes on Kirk Road and 3514 Dover Road, Youngstown, the affidavit states.

Delira-Rico and Delgado-Ortiz were inside the home on Kirk Road, the affidavit states. Investigators also found a money ledger in Delira-Rico’s wallet, a money counter in the dining room, a large bag of rubber bands and five vacuum-sealed bags with cocaine residue inside. They also found U.S. currency in the living room, suspected cocaine in the garage, a digital scale with drug residue in the garage and plastic bags in the garage, according to the affidavit.

At the Dover Road location, authorities found Hidalgo-Herrera and lots of U.S. currency, a money counter and other items suspected of being part of the drug trade, the affidavit states.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio said Espinoza-Medina is awaiting sentencing in the case, as is Hidalgo-Herrera. Vasquez-Rios is still at large.

erunyan@tribtoday.com