A Fairfield man was sentenced Monday to more than 16 years in prison on drug charges in federal court. Prosecutors said he used a luxury apartment across the street from The Banks, a popular Downtown entertainment district, as a home for narcotics.

A federal judge in Cincinnati also sentenced Eric Clark, 42, to 20 years of probation. He was found guilty of participating in a narcotics conspiracy involving at least 11 kilograms of narcotics at a trial in February.

Federal prosecutors said Clark was dealing in cocaine and fentanyl and had criminal contacts in the Los Angeles area. He used a luxury apartment on East Freedom Way as a storage house.

According to court documents, in May 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration learned of the matter when Clark corresponded with a confidential DEA source from whom he was interested in buying 10 kilograms of cocaine for $33,000 per kilogram.

Undercover federal agents in Cincinnati contacted Clark, who told the source he wanted to obtain a shipment of fentanyl he called “China.”

Clark had several interactions with undercover agents before his arrest in late August, corresponding via FaceTime, meetings at a mall, local bars and other locations, court documents show.

In August 2021, agents executed search warrants at his Downtown apartment and Circle Drive home in Fairfield.

At the apartment, the agents found over 3 kilograms of fentanyl and 3 kilograms of cocaine, according to prosecutors. At the Fairfield home, they found two guns and more than $15,000 in cash.

Clark had 5 kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine and more than $204,000 in cash in his car at the time of his arrest in August 2021, prosecutors said.

Clark was already on parole for a previous federal drug charge when he was arrested. He was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

This article originally appeared on the Cincinnati Enquirer: Fair man sentenced to 16 years in prison for fentanyl, cocaine conspiracy