CLEVELAND — An Ohio man will spend nearly 16 years in prison after he operated a drug trafficking ring out of his grandmother’s basement.
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Darnell Kief Beckham Bell of Cleveland was sentenced to 190 months, or 15 years and 8 months, in prison for his role in a drug trafficking ring.
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A jury convicted Bell in September of Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Law enforcement began to probe suspected narcotics trafficking, specifically fentanyl, in Northeast Ohio in 2024, according to court documents.
On a number of occasions during the investigation, several individuals were observed coming and going from a house on West 137th Street.
After law enforcement issued a federal search warrant at the residence, Bell was taken into custody after agents found evidence of suspected drug activities in the basement of the home, which belonged to his grandmother.
Officers seized several items, including:
- Two digital scales with fentanyl, fluorofentanyl, and cocaine residue
- A loaded HK .45 caliber pistol with magazine and ammunition (firearm was later found to be stolen)
- A Smith & Wesson .40 caliber magazine with ammunition
- 16 bags of narcotics that contained a total of 403.25 grams of cocaine base, “crack”
- Two plastic bags that contained 139.31 grams of fentanyl
- 124.29 grams of a mixture of Xylazine, fentanyl, and para-fluorofentanyl
- 81.76 grams of fentanyl
- 2.14 grams of cocaine
- Two credit cards with white powder residue
During the trial, evidence presented to the jury included a comment Bell made stating that “no one knew about Nana’s basement.”
Two co-conspirators were also charged in the indictment: 30-year-old Loundon Hardy and 27-year-old Kobe Bell-Beckham, both of Cleveland.
Both previously pleaded guilty to related drug conspiracy, distribution, and possession charges and are currently awaiting sentencing.
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