JACKSON COUNTY, Ohio — A Wellston area man is facing several drug trafficking charges following a mid-May drug bust.
Matthew W. Lewis, 62, of State Route 93, Wellston, was taken into custody by Jackson County Sheriff Tedd E. Frazier’s Deputies following an investigation. On at least two occasions, Lewis sold methamphetamine. The investigation led to a search of Lewis’s residence, where investigators discovered illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and other items possibly related to drug transactions.
The drugs found were sent for testing at the Ohio Bureau of Investigation and Identification. The results of the tests concluded that the drugs were Fentanyl, Xylazine, Cocaine, and Methamphetamine.
Xylazine is a drug used for sedation, anesthesia, muscle relaxation, and analgesia in animals such as horses, cattle, and other non-human mammals. Xylazine is not FDA-approved for human use because it causes dangerously low blood pressure, slows breathing and heart rates that can result in death.
Lewis has been an inmate in the Jackson County Correctional Facility since May 22 following the execution of the search warrant. The case is expected to be presented to a Grand Jury.