Two Dayton men were busted on major drug charges in Scioto County on the same day after separate traffic stops in Lucasville.
Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman and Portsmouth Police Chief Debby Brewer said both arrests came out of investigations by the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force in coordination with the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
The first stop happened around 1 p.m. on Aug. 24 near mile marker 12 on U.S. 23 in Lucasville.
Troopers stopped a vehicle for traffic violations and seized approximately 150 grams of suspected crack cocaine and 158 grams of suspected fentanyl.
The estimated street value of the suspected drugs was $36,960.
Arrested was Dorian Lee Dorsey, 48, of Dayton.
Dorsey was charged with two counts of trafficking in drugs and two counts of possession of drugs, all first-degree felonies.
Later that same night, around 10:56 p.m., troopers stopped another vehicle on State Route 104 in Lucasville for traffic violations.
During that stop, law enforcement seized approximately 41 grams of suspected fentanyl and 33 grams of suspected crack cocaine.
The estimated street value of those suspected drugs was $9,013.
Arrested was Shannon Smyth, 48, of Dayton.
Smyth was charged with two counts of trafficking in drugs and two counts of possession of drugs, also all first-degree felonies.
Together, the two stops netted nearly 200 grams of suspected fentanyl, more than 180 grams of suspected crack cocaine, and an estimated street value of $45,973.
Both men were booked into the Scioto County Jail and scheduled to appear in Portsmouth Municipal Court on Aug. 25.
The cases will be forwarded to the Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office for presentation to a Scioto County Grand Jury for consideration of additional felony charges.
The arrests also fit a pattern local law enforcement has warned about for years: out-of-town dealers targeting Southern Ohio as a drug market.
Scioto County has repeatedly seen suspects from larger cities, including Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Detroit, accused of bringing fentanyl, crack, heroin, meth, and other drugs into the area for sale.
For dealers, smaller Appalachian counties can look like easy money.
For local families, the result is addiction, overdoses, stolen property, child welfare cases, jail bookings, and funeral homes.
That is why task force cases like these often start with what sounds like a simple traffic stop. A vehicle gets pulled over for a violation, but the investigation turns into a major drug seizure.
Sheriff Thoroughman and Chief Brewer asked anyone with information about illegal drug activity to contact the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force tip line at 740-354-3784 or email [email protected].
Tips can remain confidential and anonymous.
The charges are allegations. Dorsey and Smyth are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
