Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has expressed concern after his family's bodyguard was arrested on federal drug-trafficking charges. Justin Salsburey, 43, and his wife Ruthann Rankin, 38, were charged on 30 December with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute large amounts of narcotics through the US mail.
Authorities executing a search warrant allegedly found a trove of illicit drugs at the couple's home. An affidavit filed by an inspector stated that about 261 parcels containing counterfeit OxyContin pills that tested positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine, as well as MDMA and steroids, were delivered to their western Ohio home between August and December 2024.
Salsburey was employed by a private security firm contracted by Ramaswamy's family to provide protective services, campaign spokesperson Connie Luck told the Guardian. She said the family had been 'alarmed to hear this disturbing news' and that the security firm immediately removed Salsburey from the detail upon being informed.
Luck said Salsburey had cleared multiple background checks run by the security company, the FBI and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation prior to his employment, and had passed a pre-employment drug test and never failed a random drug screening. Rankin has been removed from her job as a schoolteacher and placed on unpaid leave.
Salsburey is being held in Franklin County jail and was ordered to remain in custody pending trial. Ramaswamy, who sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 before endorsing Donald Trump, faces a Republican primary in May for the Ohio governor's race.
