Marion, Ohio — A Sandusky man was convicted of fentanyl trafficking after an alleged buyer overdosed.
Joseph Smith of Sandusky, Ohio, was found guilty of drug-related corruption and fentanyl trafficking in Marion County Common Pleas Court. According to the Marion County Prosecutor, on June 18th, 2022, Smith provided Daniel Griffith with fentanyl-laced pills, causing him to overdose.
According to a media release from the Prosecutor’s Office, authorities were able to determine who sold Griffith the lethal drug mixture. Surveillance video from a gas station appears to show Smith exchanging pills with Griffith, as well as text messages and phone calls between the two men.
Authorities discovered Griffith and his girlfriend had traveled to Sandusky to purchase what they believed to be Percocet pills. Griffith returned home to Marion after allegedly exchanging information with Smith.
Griffith’s girlfriend found him unresponsive some time later, and he was pronounced dead. According to the prosecutor’s office, an analysis of the pills sold to Griffith revealed that they were laced with fentanyl.
“This conviction strikes at the heart of the fentanyl crisis that we are facing; a crisis that is killing our residents,” said Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Ray Grogan. “Smith peddled poison disguised as painkillers, and we held him accountable.”
Smith will remain in custody while his sentencing date is still pending.
