LEXINGTON, KY - A Lexington man, Andrew Maurice King, 29, pleaded guilty in federal court on Wednesday before U.S. District Court Judge Danny Reeves to trafficking 10 grams or more of Valerylfentanyl and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
According to his plea agreement, King admitted that on May 30, 2019, Lexington Police Department officers found significant quantities of marijuana, oxycodone, fentanyl, and valerylfentanyl; approximately $2,900 in cash; scales and packaging; and a Romarm SKS rifle, in his residence. King admitted that he possessed the valerylfentanyl with the intent to distribute and that he was a convicted felon, prohibiting him from possessing the firearm.
King was indicted in December 2019.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jeffrey Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration, Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Lexington Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kiebler.
King is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20, 2020. King faces a minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years for the drug conviction, and he faces up to 10 years for the firearm conviction. However, any sentence will be imposed by the Court, after its consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal sentencing statutes.
This case was prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force’s (OCDETF) Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), a Department of Justice initiative designed to target trafficking of dangerous synthetic opioids.
The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the Department of Justice. Learn more about the history of our agency at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.
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