An Ohio man has been sentenced to nearly three decades behind bars for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking operation. Joshua Fortson, a 37-year-old resident of Akron, received a 29-year prison term from U.S. District Court Chief Judge Sara Lioi, following a jury's verdict that found him guilty of distributing methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute, and for being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Ohio.
The case against Fortson was solid, with federal law enforcement officials revealing that he had long been supplied methamphetamine from sources in Georgia connected to the notorious gang, La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as "MS-13." In an illicit operation that spanned several years, Fortson paid a driver to smuggle the drugs across the 700 miles from Atlanta to Akron, a dangerous trek he would closely follow. This painstaking process illustrated the lengths to which Fortson was willing to go to maintain his drug business.
Fortson's criminal enterprise operated from his Akron apartment, established as a hub for meth distribution in the area. He was recognized as a primary supplier in both Portage and Summit Counties. This extensive network unraveled in 2019 when Fortson, while on supervised release for a prior conviction, was found by parole officers to be in violation of his release conditions. A search warrant led to the discovery of cash, firearms, and a large amount of meth secreted in everyday items – a trick out of the trafficker's book to evade detection.
Authorities executing the search warrant stumbled upon $26,275 in cash, a loaded pistol, and multiple packages of a substance suspected to be methamphetamine cleverly hidden inside chip bags and a breakfast pastry box. They also found a heat sealer used to reseal the chip bags after filling them with drugs. "Fortson possessed more than seven kilograms of methamphetamine that he intended to sell," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the investigation concluded, showing the massive scale of his operation and the potential impact it had on the community.
Fortson's prior convictions – trafficking cocaine in 2009 and committing sexual battery in 2011 – undoubtedly influenced the steep sentence rendered by the court. With the recent sentencing, Fortson's legacy as a trafficker may have reached its end, but the consequences of his actions continue to ripple throughout Ohio's communities. As this lengthy sentence takes effect, one more player in the complex and destructive web of drug trafficking has been removed from the streets.
