A Bellefontaine man drove roughly 50 miles to a post office in Dublin to mail fentanyl and methamphetamine to customers, federal prosecutors say. Now he and his wife face 10 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges in federal court.
Justin Salsburey, 44, entered his guilty plea Aug. 13, before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley in Columbus, according to a federal press release. His wife, Ruthann Rankin, 39, pleaded guilty the week prior. Both were charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine and at least 40 grams of fentanyl.
The Dublin connection is specific: court documents state Salsburey bypassed post offices in Logan County, where Bellefontaine sits, and drove to a post office in Dublin to mail pills to customers. In one documented instance, he sent 52 parcels to a single buyer in Middleburg Heights, a Cleveland suburb. Prosecutors have not said why he chose Dublin.
The operation
The Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force opened its investigation in November 2025 after receiving a tip from the Logan County Sheriff's Office that Salsburey was receiving bulk narcotics at his home, Dublin Daily reported.
Investigators determined the couple received approximately 260 packages of drugs through the mail from across the country between August 2024 and December 2025. Surveillance showed Salsburey and Rankin retrieving the parcels and placing the drugs inside a cooler on their front porch for pickup by buyers.
A search of the couple's Bellefontaine home turned up bulk fentanyl and methamphetamine pills, suspected steroid vials and 12 firearms.
Rankin told investigators she helped Salsburey sell steroids and Adderall pills, and that her husband "started selling steroids and progressed to other drugs," according to the federal press release.
Background
Salsburey worked for Ark Protection Group, the security firm that led Vivek Ramaswamy's detail during his Ohio gubernatorial campaign, WOSU reported. Ramaswamy fired the firm after Salsburey's arrest in January 2026. Rankin was previously a teacher in the Urbana School District.
What's next
No sentencing date has been announced. The charge carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in federal prison.
