A Dayton man was sentenced to slightly more than ten years in prison on Wednesday after officials claimed he peddled drugs across Northeast Ohio and was arrested with more than 250 pounds of them.
Derek Nicodemus, 28, provided cocaine to an informant working for federal authorities and had 56 pounds of hallucinogenic mushrooms, 25 pounds of THC wax, and 95 pounds of hashish oil at his and his girlfriend’s houses.
U.S. District Judge Pamela Barker imposed the 10-year, one-month sentence, the shortest under federal guidelines and one month more than the required minimum.
Barker said she agreed with a prosecutor’s statement that Nicodemus’s sale or possession of 13 pounds of cocaine, combined with leading police on a high-speed chase in Medina, was the most important factor in this case.
“He just has to stop participating in the game,” Assistant US Attorney Vasile Katsaros stated. “He clearly enjoys it. He’s been doing it since he was a child, and he simply needs to mature.”
According to court records, the US Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating Nicodemus in 2022, and a DEA informant purchased two pounds of cocaine from him in June 2023.
That same month, Nicodemus went along Interstate 71 to sell the informant roughly 9 pounds of cocaine and 3 pounds of mushrooms. He drove separately from the automobile carrying the drugs.
When the Ohio State Highway Patrol attempted to stop the cars in Medina, the drug-carrying vehicle came to a halt, and Nicodemus accelerated away. A high-speed chase began before troopers called it off. Investigators later raided his and his girlfriend’s homes, discovering additional contraband, including 88 pounds of marijuana and four weapons.
Nicodemus previously pleaded guilty to narcotics conspiracy, as well as drug possession and distribution.
According to Barker, Nicodemus grew up in difficult conditions, surrounded by family members who frequently took drugs. He was kicked out of his house at the age of 16 and began selling marijuana.
Barker reported that he has been robbed six times, shot three times, and kidnapped.
According to his attorney, Justin Weatherly, Nicodemus suffers from a severe form of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder that, if not treated, causes him to make “ridiculously impulsive and horrible decisions.”
Nicodemus stated that he initially sold marijuana to support his own use, but he eventually expanded his sales to include other substances. He stated that he intended to seek treatment while in prison so that he could return home and help raise his kid, who was born after his incarceration.
“I sold to support my habit, but I went down a dark path,” Nicodemus added. “It was too easy.”
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