Cleveland Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Possessing Meth and Crack with Intent to Distribute

CLEVELAND - A 28-year-old Cuyahoga County man has been sentenced to federal prison for possessing distribution amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine base, more commonly known as "crack."

Haroon Gaines, 28, of Cleveland, was sentenced to 170 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Christopher Boyko after being convicted by a federal jury in March 2026 of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Cocaine Base.

According to court documents, Gaines was discovered unconscious in the hallway of the La Quinta Inn, in Independence, Ohio. Law enforcement responding to the scene found distribution amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine base "crack" in his pockets. According to investigators, the drug amounts found equated to about a two-month supply of methamphetamine and 200 user doses of crack cocaine. Testimony and video footage evidence presented at trial revealed that Gaines was driving in donuts in the parking lot outside of the hotel, knocking on hotel patrons' doors, and then eventually passed out on the third-floor hallway.

In total, investigators seized:

• 45.76 grams of methamphetamine (with 92% purity)
• 20.2 grams of cocaine base
• A Smith & Wesson, Model M&P, .22 caliber rifle, with magazines and ammunition

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Independence Police Department.

The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Brenna L. Fasko and Paul E. Hanna.