Leader of Columbus drug, sex trafficking ring pleads guilty in federal court
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The leader of a large drug and human trafficking operation pleaded guilty to multiple felonies in federal court Friday.
Cordell Washington, 37, of Pickerington, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances near an elementary school, money laundering, labor trafficking and drug trafficking-related charges. He is the 21st defendant in the case to plead guilty.
According to court documents, Washington and co-defendant Patrick Saultz oversaw a drug trafficking operation in Columbus that spanned nearly 15 years. Saultz, who pleaded guilty in July 2023 and was known as “White Boy Pat,” admitted to selling drugs out of multiple west Columbus houses, including one less than 1,000 feet from Burroughs Elementary School.
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The duo’s drug ring allegedly sold fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, Xanax and oxycodone across central Ohio. In pleading guilty, Washington admitted to coercing men, many of whom were addicted to drugs, into performing construction and cleaning work under the threat of violence or with the promise of drugs. Court documents state Saultz and other organization members, meanwhile, coerced women to engage in prostitution in exchange for drugs and housing.
Washington, who also went by “Dub,” faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a possible life sentence.
Washington, Saultz and nine other people were originally charged in 2022 after federal agents seized more than $1 million in cash and nearly 50 firearms from multiple properties connected to the trafficking operation. Officers have seized a total of $1.7 million in suspected drug proceeds and charged 23 people in the case.
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