Last Updated on March 25, 2026 by The HD Post Staff

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced March 24 that a Los Angeles man admitted in federal court to participating in a drug conspiracy.

Authorities said the operation involved more than 300 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in 10 pallets of paver stones shipped to the Cincinnati area.

Jontah Jackson, 31, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents in Cincinnati received intelligence in January 2025 about a methamphetamine shipment awaiting delivery in West Chester.

Law enforcement surveilled the shipment and observed Jackson nearby as others loaded the pallets onto a box truck and flatbed trailer.

As the vehicles left the delivery area, officers converged. Jackson fled, struck a law enforcement vehicle, crashed into a tree line, and ran on foot before being apprehended on a nearby highway.

Officers found methamphetamine concealed in fake paver stones mixed among real ones.

​​Jackson and co-defendant Ramiro Mendoza, 30, of Santa Maria, California, were indicted by a grand jury in April 2025.

Faces up to life in prison

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, with the DEA leading the investigation.

Jackson faces at least 10 years to life in prison. A judge will determine his sentence at a later hearing under federal guidelines and other statutory factors.

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