Elyria man sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for drug trafficking and firearms conviction

An Elyria man was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for drug trafficking and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Joshua Novak, 28, was sentenced to 151 months in prison. He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of crack cocaine, one count of distribution of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Novak sold crack cocaine and a mixture of heroin and fentanyl on multiple occasions in February of 2019, according to court documents.  On February 19, 2019, when police executed a search warrant at his residence, they located nearly 7 grams of a mixture of heroin and fentanyl, a firearm, ammunition, and other drug trafficking tools.

During his sentencing hearing, Novak was found by the court to be a career offender under the United States Sentencing Guidelines, having previously been convicted of at least two felony offenses of either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense.

This case is one of nearly eighty prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), in which any cases involving heroin, fentanyl or any synthetic opioid are prosecuted in federal court. Lorain County is one of 10 communities around the nation selected as a pilot for Operation SOS. The program demonstrates the Justice Department’s continued to commitment to working with local partners to make our community safer by targeting those offenders who have made a career of drug trafficking.

This case was investigated by the Elyria Police Department and FBI, with assistance from the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert Corts, Vasile Katsaros, and Robert J. Kolansky.