Columbus man sentenced for role in cocaine and heroin distribution operation

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Joshua Ford, of Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced today to 21 months incarceration for his role in a cocaine and heroin distribution operation, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Ford, also known as “Fatboy,” age 30, pled guilty to one count of “Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of Cocaine Base within 1,000 feet of a Protected Location” in June 2019. Ford admitted to selling cocaine near Jensen Playground on Wheeling Island in May 2018.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen L. Vogrin prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The investigation was led by the Ohio County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative. The task force is comprised of the Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police, the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wheeling Police Department. Those assisting in the arrests are the United States Marshal Service; Marshall County Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Martins Ferry, Ohio Police Department; and the Columbus, Ohio Police Department.

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.