Jury finds Chicago man guilty of drug crimes in Guernsey County

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal jury convicted a Chicago man with three crimes involving the possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base.

The verdict was announced yesterday following a trial that began on May 19 before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

Kenneth D. Triplett, 38, was found guilty on all counts as charged in a superseding indictment.

According to court documents and trial testimony, in April 2024, the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that Triplett was in the county to distribute drugs. Triplett had traveled to Guernsey County with distributable amounts of drugs after being in the Columbus area.

Within 12 hours of receiving the tip, law enforcement observed Triplett’s vehicle at a Quality Inn in Cambridge, Ohio, and arrested the defendant nearby. Triplett had an active full-extradition warrant for his arrest from Minnesota.

After arresting Triplett, officers searched his hotel room and discovered hidden throughout the room: cocaine and more than 230 grams cocaine base, an open vacuum sealed bag of fentanyl mixed with heroin, and a digital scale.

Triplett faces five to 40 years in prison and will be sentenced at a future hearing.

Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Guernsey County Sheriff Jeffrey D. Paden announced today’s guilty verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys Tyler J. Aagard and Kevin W. Kelley are representing the United States in this case.

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