ZANESVILLE – Four Zanesville residents have been charged with trafficking drugs following a multi-county investigation. 

On Thursday, while investigating a citizens complaint about drug activity at an apartment located at 715 Elberon Ave., in downtown Zanesville, ZPD officers initiated a traffic stop.

Richard Goldsmith, 41, and Matthew Smith, 38, were taken into custody and an undisclosed amount of methamphetamine, fentanyl, suboxone, marijuana, drug packaging material and cash were seized.

Muskingum County Deputies arrested 39-year-old William Stotts at a residence in Nashport where they located drug packaging material, cash and drug paraphernalia.

Two other individuals were detained during a traffic stop in Perry County by the CODE task force interdiction unit. Fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia was recovered from the vehicle.

Charges are pending against those individuals.

An additional five people were detained during the investigation but have not been charged.

The arrests were all part of the investigation into activity reported at the Elberon Avenue address, where Kayla Jones resides. A search warrant at the apartment was executed by Muskingum County/Zanesville City Joint Drug Unit, Perry County Sheriff’s office and Central Ohio Drug enforcement Task Force.

During the search warrant, officers located methamphetamine, fentanyl, suboxone, marijuana, drug packaging equipment and material, and drug paraphernalia.

Jones, 37, was taken into custody and charged with trafficking methamphetamine, a first-degree felony, possession of methamphetamine, a second-degree felony, possession of fentanyl, a fifth-degree felony, and permitting drug abuse, a fifth-degree felony.

Goldsmith was charged with two counts trafficking methamphetamine, possession of  methamphetamine, possession of fentanyl and possession of suboxone.

Smith was charged with trafficking methamphetamine and possession of fentanyl.

Stotts was charged with trafficking methamphetamine.

“People sometimes get the idea that we aren’t doing anything when they file a complaint about neighbors but we are,” Sheriff Matt Lutz said. “I wish it was as easy as it seems on a 45-minute television show. These investigations take weeks, sometimes months.”

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about this or any other drug activity is urged to contact the Muskingum County Sheriff’s office at 740-452-3637 or Zanesville Police Department at 740-455-0712.

cschultz3@gannett.com

740-450-6758

Twitter: @infoobtainer1

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