Cincinnati man sentenced to prison in Brown County fentanyl trafficking case

A Cincinnati man was sentenced to at least four years in prison recently after pleading guilty to his role in an organization charged with trafficking drugs into Brown County.

As previously reported by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Niko Adams, 33, was one of four individuals arrested in July 2023 as part of “a yearlong investigation into an alleged drug trafficking organization that began in the Cincinnati area and provided illegal drugs to Brown County.

“This investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Brown County Drug Task Force, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Mount Orab Police Department, Ripley Police Department, Sardinia Police Department and the Hamilton County Heroin Task Force," the BCSO reported.

“This investigation resulted in the alleged seizure of a large amount of fentanyl, methamphetamine and several firearms. The street price of the narcotics seized during the investigation was approximately $35,000 worth of fentanyl and methamphetamine.”

Adams was later indicted in September 2023 by a Brown County grand jury and charged with two counts of trafficking in a fentanyl-related compound and one count of possession of a fentanyl-related compound, all first-degree felonies.

According to court records, Adams pleaded guilty Dec. 18 to one of the trafficking charges, with the other two counts dismissed.

For that count, the indictment alleged that on or about July 26, 2023, Adams “did knowingly sell or offer to sell … a fentanyl-related compound or a compound, mixture, preparation or substance containing a fentanyl-related compound” weighing between 20 and 50 grams.

After accepting Adams’ guilty plea, Brown County Common Pleas Court Judge Scott Gusweiler sentenced Adams to a minimum of four years in prison. Under the Reagan Tokes Law, that sentence could be up to six years. Adams had 146 days of jail time credit.