A Columbus man has been sentenced to a term of more than 11 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, with the narcotics allegedly mailed from Arizona to Columbus. Ontario M. Yarbrough, aged 26, faced the judge's decision in U.S. District Court, where he received a 135-month sentence for his actions from April to October 2023.
In receiving the packages, Yarbrough tracked using the USPS website at least nine additional packages that contained illicit substances, delivered from Arizona to an address on South Burgess Avenue in Columbus. Announced by Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service's Pittsburgh Division, the sentence was handed down on Tuesday by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sarah D. Morrison as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The property on South Burgess Avenue, maintained by Yarbrough, became a hub for receiving the drugs, which he subsequently repackaged and distributed. When law enforcement executed a search warrant on the residence, they uncovered a stash including fentanyl, cocaine, and firearms. The investigation led to Yarbrough's arrest in October 2023, after which he pleaded guilty in May 2024 to conspiring to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Assistant United States Attorney Damoun Delaviz, representing the United States in this matter, detailed the severity of the offense given one of the intercepted packages contained approximately half a kilogram of fentanyl – an amount with the potential to wreak havoc on the community it might have permeated. Reflecting on the case, while fentanyl, cocaine, and firearms were discovered in his home by agents, Yarbrough now faces a substantial prison stint where freedom, once taken for granted, eludes him for the years to come.
