Cincinnati fentanyl dealer sentenced to 18 years in prison

CINCINNATI - A defendant who led a significant fentanyl trafficking organization in Cincinnati was sentenced in federal court today to 216 months in prison.

Quinell Hadden, 38, of Cincinnati, was responsible for obtaining and distributing hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Hadden's drug trafficking organization obtained at least 100 kilograms of fentanyl directly from the Sinaloa Cartel, 45 kilograms of cocaine from members of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), precursor shipments from China, fentanyl and methamphetamine in the mail from Arizona, and drugs from at least two other local drug trafficking organizations.

Hadden ran his drug operation from January 2020 until 2023 when he was arrested. At times, he was receiving at least 50 to 60 kilograms of fentanyl and heroin per week.

Hadden cut and processed each kilogram of fentanyl into three-to-four kilograms of product that was nearly as potent. He used a variety of cutting agents to dilute the fentanyl, resulting in deadly and unpredictable narcotics.

Forty other defendants in six current federal prosecutions were identified through the investigation into Hadden. In January 2026, Braylon Carr, one of Hadden's "top lieutenants" according to court documents, was sentenced to 158 months in prison. And today, in addition to Hadden, co-defendant Alantee Hulbert was sentenced to 144 months in prison. Several other defendants await sentencing.

Hadden, who is also known as "Nell," "Q" and "Fat Boy," pleaded guilty in October 2025 to participating in drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies.

Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Joseph O. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Detroit; Cincinnati Interim Police Chief Adam Hennie; Jason Cromartie, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and other members of the FBI's Safe Streets Task Force announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas R. Cole. Assistant United States Attorney David P. Dornette is representing the United States in this case.

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