COLUMBUS, Ohio – A fentanyl dealer operating out of Arizona, who used the U.S. Postal Service to funnel deadly shipments into central Ohio, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Jose Ruben Leyva, 46, of Phoenix, was convicted for his role in trafficking fentanyl-laced narcotics to Columbus, court documents show. Between April and October 2023, Leyva mailed at least seven packages containing illicit drugs to local traffickers, with two intercepted parcels alone carrying nearly a kilogram of fentanyl—enough to kill thousands.
The Columbus end of the pipeline was managed by co-defendant Yarbrough, who ran a drug house in the city’s Hilltop neighborhood. Investigators say Yarbrough tracked at least 13 drug shipments from Arizona to Columbus, personally accepting five of them at various locations across the city.
A federal investigation closed in on Yarbrough after he received one such parcel. A search warrant executed at his residence led to the discovery of nearly 500 grams of fentanyl, along with ten other bags of suspected narcotics, two firearms, ammunition, cash, and drug trafficking paraphernalia.
Days later, authorities raided Leyva’s home in Arizona, uncovering fentanyl pills, powdered narcotics, firearms, mailing supplies, and additional drug paraphernalia. Both men pleaded guilty to their charges in mid-2024.
Yarbrough received a 135-month prison sentence in November 2024. Now, his supplier, Leyva, has been handed 120 months behind bars. Authorities say their operation helped dismantle a dangerous fentanyl pipeline flooding Ohio streets.
With overdose deaths at record highs, federal officials continue to target cross-state drug networks exploiting mail services to move lethal substances.