Marion woman sentenced to 10-15 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl
A Marion County woman has been sentenced to a term of 10 to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of trafficking in and possession of fentanyl.
Brandy N. Davis, age 44, Marion, was sentenced to an indefinite term of 10 to 15 years in prison when she appeared before Marion County Common Pleas Court Judge Warren T. Edwards on Monday. The judge imposed a 2- to 5-year period of post-release control as part of the sentence. He also required Davis to pay the maximum fine of $10,000. She is also required to pay for all court costs and attorneys' fees associated with the case.
Following a two-day trial last week in Marion County Common Pleas Court, the jury found Davis guilty of one count of trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound, a first-degree felony, and one count of possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a first-degree felony.
According to a press release issued by Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan, investigators from the MARMET Drug Task Force arrested Davis on Jan. 31, 2022, after executing a search warrant at a residence located at 405 Mound St. in Marion. Investigators reported they discovered and collected "nearly 60 grams of fentanyl" at the residence.
According to investigators, Davis admitted to the police that she had delivered the fentanyl to the house for "safe keeping." They said Davis also knew how many packages there were and the weight of at least one of the packages.
As part of her defense, Judge Edwards noted that Davis admitted to lying to law enforcement during the course of the investigation in order to protect her brother, Phillip L. Cox, who was arrested in connection with the same case and is currently incarcerated at the Mansfield Correctional Institution in Richland County. Judge Matthew P. Frericks sentenced Cox to an indefinite prison term of 5 to 7.5 years after he pleaded guilty to possession of a fentanyl-related compound, a first-degree felony, on Sept. 1, 2022, in Marion County Common Pleas Court.
"To mislead the police, to lie to the police, is a felony, in the course of their investigation," Edwards said during the sentencing hearing on Monday. "So your defense here was a felony in itself. ... This is a serious criminal investigation and no matter how much you love somebody, you don't get to commit a crime to try to cover it up, and that's what you're telling me happened. The jury didn't buy it and, frankly, neither do I.
"But even if I did, you'd still go to prison on that. So let that be a warning to the rest of Marion: don't do this. If your loved ones are involved in this type of drug trafficking, get away from them, don't cover for them."
Following Monday's sentencing hearing, Davis was transported back to the Multi-County Correctional Center in Marion where she will await transfer to the Correctional Reception Center at Orient in Pickaway County. From there, she will be assigned to a state prison to serve out her sentence.
Grogan said 60 grams of fentanyl could kill nearly 30,000 people. For perspective, the population of the city of Marion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimate for 2021, is 35,868.
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, "Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, which is equal to 10 to 15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose. Without laboratory testing, there is no way to know how much fentanyl is concentrated in a pill or powder."
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Marion woman gets 10-15 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl
