Vandalia man sentenced to more than a dozen years in federal drug case

The front windows of the Walter H. Rice Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Dayton. THOMAS GNAU / STAFF

Credit: Thomas Gnau

Credit: Thomas Gnau

The front windows of the Walter H. Rice Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Dayton. THOMAS GNAU / STAFF

A Vandalia man was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Dayton to 13 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in September to possessing with the intent to distribute drugs, including fentanyl, within 1,000 feet of an elementary school.

At sentencing, prosecutors argued that Jason Glanton possessed enough fentanyl to kill hundreds of thousands of adults in close proximity to children in kindergarten through third grade at Helke Elementary School on Randler Avenue in Vandalia.

In the fall of 2022, the FBI and Dayton Police Department began investigating Glanton for fentanyl trafficking. Law enforcement observed Glanton sell fentanyl on at least three occasions in January and February 2023, according to court documents.

During a raid in February, agents found more than 136 grams of fentanyl, $9,000 in cash, five semiautomatic handguns and more than 300 rounds of ammunition in a basement office at Glanton’s house on Pool Avenue. Investigators also discovered three loaded handguns in the primary bedroom. Also, in Glanton’s Chevrolet Silverado officials discovered $10,000 in cash in the trunk and a loaded handgun in a hidden compartment inside the vehicle, according to a release from the office of U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker for the Southern District of Ohio.

When Glanton was arrested in March, he had more than $1,700 in cash on him and nearly 75 grams of fentanyl in his Chrysler 300. the release stated.

Glanton’s narcotics included fentanyl, fentanyl analogue, and a xylazine mixture known by the street names “tranq dope” and “zombie dope.” Xylazine is particularly dangerous because it has no known antidote, meaning Narcan/naloxone is less effective at reversing overdoses.

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