WEST PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — A Columbus man faces two first-degree felony drug charges after Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers seized about 72 grams of suspected cocaine during a traffic stop on state Route 73, Scioto County Sheriff David Thoroughman and Portsmouth Police Chief Debby Brewer announced.
UPDATE (Oct. 22, 8:29 a.m.): This story has been updated with additional information from the Portsmouth Police Department.
Troopers stopped a vehicle for traffic violations near mile marker 24 in West Portsmouth at about 4:27 p.m. Wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation by the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force, conducted in coordination with the Highway Patrol. The sheriff’s office said the seized cocaine carries an estimated street value of $7,200.
Jimmy Lee Jones, 38, of Columbus, was arrested and charged with trafficking in drugs and possession of drugs, both first-degree felonies, according to the sheriff’s office.
Jones was booked into the Scioto County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning in Portsmouth Municipal Court, the sheriff’s office said.
The case will be forwarded to the Scioto County Prosecutor’s Office for presentation to a grand jury, which may consider additional charges, according to the release.
Suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Thoroughman and Brewer are asking anyone with information about drug activity to contact the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force tip line at (740) 354-3784 or by email at [email protected]. All information will be kept confidential and anonymous, the sheriff’s office said.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office and the Portsmouth Police Department.
