Columbus drug kingpin Mark Eubanks, 34, is headed to federal prison for 150 months after being sentenced as the ringleader of a sprawling heroin and steroid trafficking network that flooded central and southern Ohio with deadly narcotics. His sentencing marks the final chapter in a two-year crackdown that dismantled a tightly organized operation spanning multiple counties and jurisdictions.
Eubanks used two Columbus homes and a storage unit as stash houses for heroin, cocaine, MDMA, and anabolic steroids, while also storing firearms and cash proceeds from drug sales. Federal agents, acting on intelligence from a 2014 FBI investigation, identified Eubanks as the central distributor who funneled drugs to a network of co-conspirators across the region. Raids uncovered 200 vials of steroids, multiple firearms, over $37,000 in cash, and significant quantities of heroin and MDMA.
Seven other defendants have also been sentenced. Donald Smith, 52, Columbus, received 72 months. Johnathan Nunez, 27, Wheelersburg, was sentenced to 41 months. Gregory Workman, 51, Springfield; Timothy Mutter, 59, Franklin Furnace; Richard Glenn, 36, Portsmouth; and Trent Banks, 47, South Bloomfield, each received 36 months—though Banks’ sentence was probation after pleading guilty to anabolic steroid trafficking. Kent Whiteside, 32, Columbus, was sentenced to 18 months.
All defendants except Banks pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin. Court documents reveal the organization operated under a structured supply chain, moving narcotics from bulk distributors to street-level dealers in high-demand zones across Scioto, Lawrence, and Franklin counties. The Southern Ohio Drug Task Force, including law enforcement from Portsmouth, Jackson, and Ironton, played a critical role in tracking movements and executing search warrants.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Martinez and Deputy Criminal Chief Michael Hunter. U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman stated the takedown “strikes a major blow against the opioid epidemic feeding addiction and violence in our communities.” FBI Special Agent in Charge Angela L. Byers and DEA’s Timothy J. Plancon praised interagency coordination that led to the October 2015 federal indictment and eventual convictions.
U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson presided over all proceedings. Agencies involved include the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, and local police departments integral to the Southern Ohio Drug Task Force. With Eubanks now locked away for over a decade, authorities say the disruption of this network has significantly weakened a major drug pipeline in the region.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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