Fentanyl Near Playground Leads to Ohio Man’s Conviction

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA — A Canton, Ohio man has admitted to having more than 40 grams of fentanyl near a playground in Ohio County, West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. Jaylen Jawaun Lashawn Martin, also known as “Money,” age 29, pleaded guilty to one charge of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl within 1,000 feet of a protected location. According to statements made in court, Martin was staying at a hotel in the Elm Grove section of Wheeling. While under investigation for drug trafficking, officers observed Martin exit a vehicle and go inside his room. Officers arrested Martin and conducted a lawful search of the vehicle, seizing a shopping bag containing nearly 72 grams of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. The hotel is within 1,000 feet of Overbrook Playground. Martin faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 80 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Reid is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America , a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration. U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.