Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Zanesville Drug Dealer Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison Only Eight Days After Arrest
ZANESVILLE, OH –
Zanesville Drug Dealer Darrin Wade, 41, took immediate responsibility for his role in a drug operation that netted 247 grams of methamphetamine and over 12 grams of fentanyl.
Eight days after his arrest for outstanding Parole warrants, Wade admitted guilt to a Prosecutor’s Bill of Information. A Bill of Information is a charging process where a criminal defendant waives the right to have his case heard by the Muskingum County Grand Jury and agrees to plead guilty to a set of criminal charges.
Wade’s criminal history includes prior convictions for drug trafficking. At the time of his arrest, he was on post-release control following a nine-year sentence for felonious assault.
Wade’s Bill of Information charged him with three counts:
1. Trafficking in Methamphetamine, felony of the first degree with forfeiture specification
2. Trafficking in Fentanyl, felony of the first degree with forfeiture specification
3. Having Weapons Under Disability, felony of the third degree with firearm specification
Details of the Case:
On March 2, 2026, agents with the Zanesville / Muskingum County Joint Drug Unit and CODE Task Force found Wade as he left his girlfriend’s apartment on Adams Lane. He was in possession of marijuana and more than $2,000 cash. After he was placed under arrest, the cash and his car were handed over to his girlfriend.
Once Wade was booked into jail, he immediately attempted to sell the drugs that he still possessed in an Adams Lane Apartment, claiming to other parties that he was going to profit $40,000.
Zanesville / Muskingum County Joint Drug Unit Detectives then executed a search warrant onto the Adams Lane apartment where Wade’s drugs were kept. While executing the search warrant detectives discovered a firearm and large quantities of narcotics.
After the drug bust, Wade reached out to investigators, about a Bill of Information.
In this case, Wade agreed to a ten-year sentence, to be served consecutively to the two years he had remaining on post-release control. This resulted in a total sentence of 12 years in prison. He also agreed to forfeit the cash, firearms, and any interest he had in the vehicle involved in the crimes.
On Monday, March 9, Judge Gerald Anderson affirmed that recommendation and sentenced Wade to 12 years in prison, eight days after his initial arrest.
“Prompt acceptance of responsibility is rare in the criminal justice system, and therefore there is some benefit for offenders in terms of a reduced amount of exposure to prison time by agreeing to resolve their case quickly,” according to Assistant Prosecutor John Litle who handled the case. “We have the ability to resolve cases like this quickly due to our county’s reputation for solid criminal investigations, strong prosecutions, and sentences that have significant consequences.”
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