CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Rocky River woman who sold large amounts of club drugs was sentenced Tuesday to 46 months in federal prison.
Denisa Alicka, 27, pleaded guilty in June to possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. The FBI said she, along with her sister and two others, conspired to bring MDMA and high-quality marijuana from Canada to the Cleveland area.
Alicka apologized to her parents and another sister during Tuesday's sentencing before U.S. District Judge Dan Polster handed down his sentence.
"I can honestly say I never thought I'd be in this position," Alicka said.
Prosecutors said that she and her sister Jonida Alicka worked with others to move and sell drugs. They included Rinald Turhani, who cheated on his wife with Denisa Alicka, and Leka Konini.
The Alicka sisters would routinely travel to other states to transport drugs, prosecutors said.
Defense attorney Joseph Delguyd argued that Denisa Alicka was a minor player. He wrote in a sentencing memo that she was a "glorified mule used at the whim of her boyfriend." He also asked Polster to recommend drug treatment for his client.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Darden said Denisa Alicka was an active and willing participant and that she was arrested in California in 2015 along with Turhani and Konini, when they all had nearly 20 pounds of MDMA.
Darden also said Denisa Alicka sold drugs to several people.
The sisters lived a lavish lifestyle with the money they got from selling drugs. The lived in an upscale apartment on Center Ridge Road and spent money on plastic surgery, luxury sedans and trips to Miami and Los Angeles.
Jonida Alicka was sentenced in January to 41 months in federal prison. She worked as a volunteer reserve officer for the Linndale Police Department.
Turhani, a Detroit area trucking company owner, was sentenced in September to nine years in federal prison. Konini will be sentenced April 12.
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