Jesus Ruiz, face charges stemming from the January 2007 cocaine bust - the largest ever in Hamilton County.
Ruiz, 31, of Texas, Cornell Clisby, 40, of Springdale, who is Erick Clisby's cousin, and Pedro Mota, 28, of Texas, have a hearing before Triantafilou on Wednesday.
Testimony from Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit agents and Ruiz detailed how the drug operation worked.
Mota recruited Ruiz, who owned a truck, to drive 110 pounds of cocaine to Cincinnati, an offer Ruiz accepted because he was desperate for money. The cocaine, packed tightly into two duffle bags, had a street value of $7 million.
Ruiz made one successful run to Cincinnati in December 2006, turning the drugs over to Erick and Cornell Clisby at Erick Clisby's Forest Park auto body shop, agents said.
But Mota didn't pay Ruiz and said if he wanted cash, Ruiz had to make a second trip with another 110 pounds of cocaine. RENU Agent Timothy Nash caught Ruiz with the drug at a truck stop in Harrison in January 2007 just before Ruiz was going to make the drop.
Ruiz agreed to cooperate, calling the Clisbys to the truck stop under the guise that his truck had broken down. After the arrests, drug agents found $1,090,000 cash at Erick Clisby's business.
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