Lima man gets 22 years in prison for running drug trafficking enterprise
Feb. 5—LIMA — A 23-year-old Lima man who prosecutors say ran a criminal enterprise that led to the distribution of large amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine in Allen County was sentenced Wednesday to a minimum of 22 years in prison.
Ki'shon Sims was indicted in October on an assortment of first- and second-degree felony charges related to the drug trafficking operation. Two of the counts included specifications labeling him a major drug offender, a designation that called for the maximum possible penalties upon conviction.
As part of a negotiated plea deal with prosecutors, Sims appeared before Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser on Wednesday and entered pleas of guilty to the aggravated trafficking of drugs, possession of cocaine and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. All are first-degree felonies, and two included the MDO specifications.
Through his guilty pleas Sims also agreed to forfeit two handguns and $4,318 in U.S. currency to the West Central Ohio Crime Task Force. Two felony counts of aggravated possession of drugs were dismissed by prosecutors as part of the plea deal.
The negotiated deal called for a jointly recommended prison sentence of 22 to 27 1/2 years.
Assistant Allen County Prosecutor Colleen Limerick said Sims on at least one occasion used the U.S. Postal Service to facilitate drug transactions. A package intercepted by investigators, after a federal warrant was obtained, contained nearly three pounds meth that were to be delivered to an address on South Woodlawn Avenue in Lima. Sims was alleged to have been the sender of the package.
Limerick said Sims also used a location on Bank Road, in Allen County near Columbus Grove, as part of his trafficking operation. A search of that residence turned up more than 100 grams of cocaine and a large quantity of meth, the prosecutor said.
Defense attorney Anthony VanNoy called Sims "somewhat of an enigma," stating that the soft-spoken, polite Lima man was "one of the most pleasant people" he has ever represented.
"He has a large capacity for good ... (but) made some bad decisions," VanNoy said of his client.
Sims spoke very little during the hearing but did apologize to the court and his family for the actions that led him to court on Wednesday.
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