Columbus drug crime parolee gets 13 years for dealing fentanyl

A Columbus man already on parole for federal narcotics crimes has been sentenced in federal court in Columbus to 13 years back in prison for new drug and firearms crimes involving 300 grams of fentanyl hidden in his two homes, including in his dog’s collar.

Larry K. Smith, 31, also known as “Lil Larry” and “Big Larry,” was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Watson of the Southern District of Ohio for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Smith owns Larry’s Cleaning LLC and applied for federal CARES Act aid for his business, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Columbus. Around that same time, Smith appeared on social media with highend vehicles, jewelry, bags and stacks of money while having no verified income.

Law enforcement surveillance on Smith’s home in Columbus recorded a large number of people coming and going.

While executing simultaneous search warrants at Smith’s two residents in Columbus and Lewis Center, Delaware County, law enforcement discovered approximately 300 grams of fentanyl throughout the homes – including in a dog’s collar and in a Gucci bag hidden under the stairs.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose.

Officers also found more than $50,000 in cash, including in a Louis Vuitton backpack and on Smith’s person; a loaded firearm; marijuana and crack cocaine.

Jordan Laird is a courts reporter at the Columbus Dispatch. You can reach her at jlaird@dispatch.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @Lairdwrites.