Court records: Suspect in Summit County murders was previously sentenced for running Akron drug ring

SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - Court records obtained by 19 News reveal new details into the suspect arrested in connection to the murder of three men found in two separate locations this week in Summit County.

Police arrested 58-year-old Elias Gudino of Copley Township on Friday in Summit County after three men were found bound, gagged and shot in the head, according to previous reports. He was charged with one count of aggravated murder and one count of attempted aggravated murder.

Copley Police and Akron Detectives in a joint statement said more charges could be filed and there’s the possibility that more suspects could be arrested.

Officials confirmed the victims, who have not been identified, were “likely” kidnapped outside of Summit County prior to their deaths.

A criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in 2009 said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) conducted an extensive investigation into the “Elias Gudino Drug Trafficking Organization,” a cocaine distribution ring based in Southern Mexico that was run by Gudino from his home in Akron at the time. The drug ring ran through Ohio, Colorado, Michigan, Illinois and Oklahoma.

The complaint also said Gudino had been trafficking drugs since the 1990′s.

Gudino was federally indicted on Oct. 7, 2009 on two drug trafficking charges, where court records say he allegedly distributed “multiple-kilogram quantities” of cocaine.

Court records said Gudino pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 150 months in prison with five years of probation in 2010; however, he was released from prison in November 2017.

While Copley Township Police Chief Michael Mier said a search warrant was executed at Gudino’s Henetta Avenue home on March 10, 2023, no other details have been publicized in the investigation.

This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.

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