A Summit County resident was sentenced on May 4 to ten years in prison for federal drug and firearms violations committed while he was out on parole, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.
Darron Portis, age 36, of Akron, received a sentence of 120 months after pleading guilty to several charges. These included being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition—despite previous convictions for aggravated robbery, abduction, burglary, and firearm possession—as well as possession with intent to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. He also pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. In addition to his prison term, Portis will serve four years of supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Benita Y. Pearson imposed the sentence on April 30.
Court documents show that federal agents began investigating suspected drug trafficking activity in Akron that led them to Portis. During a search warrant executed at his residence in January 2025, agents found him with a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver and cocaine. Additional searches uncovered substances later confirmed as mixtures containing tramadol, xylazine, fluorofentanyl, fentanyl (colored purple), methamphetamine (white powder), as well as cash totaling about $1,400 and another firearm—a shotgun—hidden inside ductwork.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA Cleveland District Office along with the Akron Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Stephanie Wojtasik and James P. Lewis prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio promotes community safety through outreach programs and victim services across northern Ohio according to its official website. The office serves as the chief federal law enforcement authority under the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website and enforces laws related to national security and public corruption while defending civil suits brought against the United States according to its official website. Its jurisdiction covers forty northern counties in Ohio according to its official website, collaborating closely with schools and local law enforcement agencies according to its official website. The office operates from locations including Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, and Youngstown according to its official website.
