COLUMBUS, Ohio — An illegal immigrant from Mexico was sentenced to more than 16 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and child exploitation crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced.
Anicleto Olvera-Sanchez, 35, of Columbus, was sentenced to 200 months in U.S. District Court following a drug trafficking investigation that led officers to search his residence, where they recovered fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and multiple firearms. Olvera-Sanchez pleaded guilty in October 2025 to sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child pornography and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
A search of Olvera-Sanchez’s cell phone revealed evidence that he paid a teenage girl to create and send him sexually explicit videos and images. He continuously requested photos of the minor and asked her to meet with him for sexual acts in exchange for money, according to court documents. Searches of his cell phone and Apple account revealed more than 990 images and 270 videos of child pornography, in addition to more than 700 images and six videos found on the MEGA app on his phone.
“Olvera-Sanchez committed a smorgasbord of crimes while illegally present in this country, and today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of those crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II, noting the case was the seventh involving a criminal illegal immigrant to be sentenced, convicted or charged in the district in two months.
The case was part of Operation Take Back America and Project Safe Childhood, federal initiatives targeting illegal immigration, transnational criminal organizations and the sexual exploitation of children. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson.