Major Drug Offender’ Who Preyed on Addicts Sentenced to 112+ Years in Prison

Posted on 10/9/2025

Defendant: Troy Lee Locke

A Columbus drug dealer whose actions were deemed an “insidious example of profiting at the expense of others” by Franklin County prosecutors was sentenced on Oct. 6 to at least 112 years in prison.
 
On Oct. 1, a Franklin County jury found Troy Locke, 40, guilty on 13 felony drug-related charges stemming from a six-month investigation that involved the rare use of a wiretap.
 
Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys Carol Harmon and Scott Smith urged the court to impose more than the minimum for Locke’s leadership of a large-scale drug trafficking operation, saying in their sentencing memorandum that they believed Locke’s conduct “constitutes some of the worst forms of the offenses of drug trafficking and manufacturing.”
 
Case Background
 
In 2021, investigators began looking into Locke’s activities, obtaining a wiretap to listen in on his phone calls. Such a tool is rare in a Franklin County drug investigation and required several layers of approval, including from the Ohio Attorney General.
 
The ensuing investigation and content of Locke’s calls revealed that he was the leader of a drug trafficking organization distributing large amounts of fentanyl, heroin and cocaine in Franklin County. In addition, prosecutors allege that Locke pulled in friends and family into his organization — some of whom now have felony convictions — and that he targeted sales to those already addicted to narcotics. There was no evidence that Locke himself used narcotics.
 
Locke’s conviction included a specification designating him a “major drug offender” because of the volume of drugs he was distributing. That designation, plus Locke’s likelihood to reoffend, contributed to his substantial prison sentence of 112 to 117.5 years. Locke faces additional charges in other drug-related cases.
 
“We’ve all seen the toll of addiction — spiking overdoses, shattered families, and communities in decline,” said Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor. “Drug trafficking is not a victimless crime; it’s one of the gravest threats facing our city. Removing this defendant from our streets makes Columbus a safer place for us all.”