A challenger to Ohio governor Mike DeWinne accused him of failing to address the state's drug problem. | Victoria Borodinova/Pixabay
A challenger to Ohio governor Mike DeWinne accused him of failing to address the state's drug problem. | Victoria Borodinova/Pixabay
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio recently filed charges against three men, one of whom is a Mexican national, for trafficking more than 1,100 pounds of cocaine from Mexico to Cleveland, according to a news release.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Renacci has criticized Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine for failing to tackle Ohio's drug problem.
"Mike DeWine promised to fight Ohio's drug crisis," Renacci said in a statement. "Instead, it's gotten worse. Why isn't DeWine taking executive action right now to protect Ohio from Biden's illegal immigration crisis? Governors like Ron DeSantis or Greg Abbott are leading the way on get-tough policy, while Ohio is stuck with amnesty-voting RINO Mike DeWine."
If elected, Renacci promised to "use every tool at my office's disposal, and work with the state legislature to defund sanctuary cities, and make Ohio a zero-tolerance state for illegal immigration. Unfortunately, we can't trust Mike DeWine to do the same."
Ohio ranks fourth in the country for drug overdose deaths, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
5,215 people in Ohio lost their lives to drug overdoses in 2020, the foundation said. The only states with more drug overdose deaths were California, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
Members of the drug trafficking organization were charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine, international money laundering, and interstate travel in aid of racketeering, among other charges. They earned approximately $13 million in drug trafficking proceeds, which they sent back to Mexico, The Ohio Star reported.
Renacci, 63, is an accountant and entrepreneur, according to his campaign biography. He won election to U.S. Congress in 2010 as part of the Tea Party movement and later endorsed Donald Trump over then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the 2016 primary for president.
Incumbent DeWine will face off against Renacci in the GOP gubernatorial primary on May 3, according to Ballotpedia. The winner will then appear on ballots for the general election on November 8.
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