The Pike County Sheriff says an investigation involving local, state and federal officials has busted a drug ring being led from inside prison walls.
The Sheriff said the investigation prompted his alert last week about deadly doses of drugs heading into his county.
Thirty-one year-old Richard Smith is already serving an eight-year sentence on drug trafficking charges.
But Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader says that didn't stop him from leading a drug ring from behind prison walls, with a whole team of people moving drugs and money in and out of Pike County.
Evidence photos show just some of what was seized; cash, pre-paid credit cards, syringes, heroin laced with Fentanyl hidden behind light fixtures.
The investigation also seized 26 pounds of meth worth more than $600,000.
"To take 26 pounds of methamphetamine off the streets, so it's not taken to the distributors or dealers, I couldn't imagine to tell you how many lives that could have possibly saved," Reader said.
Reader says Smith, David Crabtree, and Elvie Royster are members of the "Konvicted Family" gang that originated in Ohio's prison system.
10TV was there Thursday as Royster was taken into custody.
Asked about Konvicted Family, Royster said, "I don't know nothin' about it. I don't know nothin' about nothin'."
He denied selling drugs.
"It's a very serious problem," said Reader. "We're losing lives daily."
Reader said the investigation conducted by the Pike County Drug and Major Crimes Task Force uncovered intelligence last week that gang members could be headed to Pike County with deadly doses of drugs, intended to take out supposed "snitches."
He alerted citizens and increased patrols.
"I will always err on the side of caution. Fortunately, with all the precautions that we took, we had no incidences in Pike County, and we had no overdoses in that time period."
Reader says the arrests of some 20 suspects has slowed the flow of drugs into Pike County.
He knows the battle is far from over.
"Is it a temporary fix? It's a solution that these folks will no longer be trafficking in drugs in Pike County. But I'm sure there's a group somewhere that would love to take their place."
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction says it is cooperating with the investigation.
Richard Smith has been isolated in restrictive housing.