A traffic stop conducted on Tuesday, Jan. 21 between Roseville and Crooksville just inside Muskingum County border lead to the seizure of over 300 grams of illegal drugs and the arrest of one man.

A Crooksville man is currently in the Muskingum County Jail awaiting indictment after a multi-jurisdictional investigation was launched surrounding the man’s involvement with illegal narcotics.

Thirty year-old James E. Harris was apprehended by members of the Central Ohio Drug Enforcement Task Force on Jan. 21. K9 Officer Argo with CODE alerted other officers to the scent of narcotics coming from inside Harris’ vehicle.

A search of that vehicle lead to the seizure of over 100 grams of cocaine and over 200 grams of methamphetamine — totaling a street value of about $25,000, according to a media release from the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office and the Zanesville Police Department.

Subsequently, a search warrant was served at a residence in Crooksville which lead to the seizure of money and several vehicles. Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz could not confirm if the residence belonged to Harris.

“This investigation, it relied heavily on our input from our community,” Lutz said. “We had a lot of intel of where the activity was happening, a lot of intel on different things that were going on in our community.”

Although investigations may be a lengthy process, Lutz and Coury added that tips received from the public are heard and do lead to investigations.

“If you want to take back your neighborhood, you’ve got to call complaints in,” Coury said. “You’ve got to be a voice and you’re going to be heard. It does take time to do these investigations, but this is the results of people that want to call in tips and help us out.”

Through the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office, Harris has been charged with one count of trafficking in drugs (cocaine) with a major drug offender specification, one count of possession of drugs (cocaine) with a major drug offender specification, one count of trafficking in drugs (methamphetamine) and one count of possession of drugs (methamphetamine). All of the counts are felonies of the first degree.

“He’s a pretty big fish,” Coury said. “That’s a lot of dope. And anytime we charge someone with a major drug offense, they have a lot of drugs on them.”

If convicted of the charges, Harris, who allegedly was supplying drugs to one house in the City and another in the county, is facing up to 44 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 11 years in prison due to the major drug offender specifications.

“He is looking at a very long time in prison,” Zanesville Police Chief Tony Coury said.

The investigation into this case is ongoing, and future charges on other individuals are possible. Additional charges for Harris are also possible in Perry County.

Harris is being held in the Muskingum County Jail on a $750,000 bond.

“To the public, we appreciate the support we get from you,” Lutz said. “This is one of those cases where those tips really helped us get into this investigation, and we appreciate that support.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

Evidence photos provided by the Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz