An Arizona man has been sentenced to ten years in prison for his involvement in an illegal fentanyl distribution conspiracy. Jose Ruben Leyva, 46, from Phoenix, used the U.S. Postal Service to send parcels containing controlled substances to drug traffickers in Columbus, Ohio.
Court documents reveal that Leyva mailed at least seven packages to Columbus between April and October 2023. Two of these parcels, intercepted on October 11 and 12, contained nearly 500 grams of fentanyl each.
Ontario M. Yarbrough, a 26-year-old resident of Columbus, operated a drug house in the Hilltop area. During the same period, he received five packages from Leyva and tracked at least 13 more sent from Arizona to Columbus. Yarbrough accepted these deliveries at various locations around the city.
A search warrant executed at Yarbrough's residence led investigators to discover almost 500 grams of fentanyl in one package. Additional seizures included ten bags of white powder, firearms and ammunition, cash, and other drug trafficking materials.
Further investigation at Leyva's home in Arizona uncovered pills and powder containing fentanyl, firearms, packaging materials, other drug paraphernalia, and cash.
Both defendants pleaded guilty in mid-2024. Yarbrough received a sentence of over eleven years in November 2024.
The sentencing was announced by Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Pittsburgh Division; and officials with the Ohio HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area). Assistant United States Attorney Damoun Delaviz is handling the case for the government.