URBANA — A couple has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.
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Ruthann Rankin and her husband, Justin Salsburey, pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a narcotics conspiracy involving bulk amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the mail.
Federal court documents state that at the time of her arrest in January, Rankin was a teacher at Urbana City Schools.
She is no longer listed on the school’s directory.
A USPS postal inspector said he got information from detectives with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office regarding an investigation into Rankin, according to court documents.
Postal inspectors determined that between Aug. 1, 2024, and Dec. 22, 2025, around 261 parcels were delivered to the couple’s home.
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Of these packages, 110 were sent using PC postage or were mailed from a USPS retail location.
Thirty-one were mailed using postage generated from websites known to sell postage in exchange for cryptocurrency.
Investigators said criminals often use cryptocurrency to pay for postage for things purchased on the dark web.
In November 2025, deputies with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office collected trash from Rankin and Salsburey’s home and found items that tested positive for fentanyl.
Postal inspectors intercepted mail on its way to the couple and found that the names and addresses of the senders did not match.
Inside the packages, inspectors found suspected meth and fentanyl, according to court documents.
Investigators also searched the couple’s home and said they found hundreds of pills, which tested positive for fentanyl, MDMA, meth, and other controlled substances and steroids.
We are working to confirm Rankin is no longer employed with Urbana City Schools.
The couple could face 10 years to life in prison.
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