ZANESVILLE – Two men and one woman received prison sentences after a 400-pill drug bust and a joint investigation by the FBI, Zanesville-Muskingum County Joint Drug Unit and CODE Task Force.
Krisawn Antonio Taylor-Hayes, 22, of Columbus was sentenced to 16 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on Nov. 24. His co-defendant, Steven A. Smith Jr., 26, of Zanesville, received a 17-year sentence on Oct. 8.
The pair reportedly coordinated a deal to sell to law enforcement 400 pills that contained fentanyl and were made to look like Percocet, according to an announcement from the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office.
They were assisted by driver Breonna K. Kelley, 19, of Columbus. The three were caught in possession of the money used during the transaction. A 2023 Chevy Trailblazer and $350 in cash seized during the June bust have since been forfeited, the announcement stated.
Both men were indicted on and pleaded guilty to two felonies, first-degree fentanyl trafficking and fifth-degree cocaine possession, in October. Smith also pleaded guilty to first-degree fentanyl trafficking and fifth-degree cocaine possession during a hearing Oct. 8 and was sentenced to 17 years in prison for those two convictions and for four drug- and gun-related convictions from a second case.
Kelley pleaded guilty to three felonies Oct. 20, including third-degree fentanyl trafficking, fifth-degree cocaine possession, and fifth-degree methamphetamine possession. She received four years in prison during a Nov. 26 sentencing.
Taylor-Hayes and Smith were booked into the Muskingum County Jail June 12 on $750,000 and $500,000 bonds respectively. They will both have two to five years of post-release control once released from prison.
Shawn Digity is a reporter for the Zanesville Times Recorder. He can be emailed at sdigity@gannett.com or found on X at @ShawnDigityZTR.
This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Three sentenced after 400-pill drug bust in Muskingum County
Reporting by Shawn Digity, Zanesville Times Recorder / Zanesville Times Recorder
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