On May 4th, 2023, law enforcement officers from the Marion City Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant obtained through Judge Teresa Ballinger for a residence in the 200 block of Bellevue Avenue in the city of Marion after an investigation by detectives from the MARMET Drug Task Force.
Detectives seized approximately 92.7 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 16.5 grams of suspected cocaine, 5.9 grams of suspected crack cocaine, 116 suspected Xanax pills, 62 suspected Suboxone pills, 392 grams of suspected marijuana and 5 illegally possessed firearms.
Ryan Johnson age 37 of Marion, Ohio was arrested and charged with Trafficking in Drugs and Weapons Under Disability. This case will be forwarded to Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan for the filing of formal charges.
“Law enforcement continues to aggressively pursue traffickers in our community. I am proud of the work they do to keep our community safe. We will continue to attack the presence of illegal drugs from all angles because we lose far too many of our neighbors to addiction and death caused by them” said Marion Police Chief Jay McDonald.
Marion County Sheriff Matt Bayles said, “This case was initiated after TIPS were called in by the community. We appreciate the residents bringing this person and residence to the attention of the MARMET Drug Task Force and I would like to thank the residents for the TIPS and the investigation done by the MARMET Task Force. These illegal drugs and guns are now off the streets due to the residents stepping up and saying something. Our county is safer today because of them.”
The MARMET Drug Task Force is made up of members of the Marion City Police Department, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Marion County Prosecutors Office.
Marion County citizens are encouraged to call in crime tips involving criminal activity to 740-375-TIPS (8477) or online at https://mariontips.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous if they choose.