LEXINGTON, KY – The U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Kentucky reports that a Detroit man residing in Lexington, Kenneth Hinton, 43, was sentenced on Tuesday, to 200 months in federal prison, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, for possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and money laundering.
According to his plea agreement, beginning in March 2022, law enforcement began investigating Hinton. Ultimately, law enforcement executed search warrants on Hinton’s vehicle, Lexington residence, and storage unit. In these searches, law enforcement seized over five kilograms of cocaine and numerous firearms and ammunition, including an AR-15 rifle and several loaded handguns. A joint financial investigation between the IRS and DEA also established that Hinton was using proceeds from the sale of cocaine, which had been deposited into bank accounts, to then purchase several pieces of real estate in Detroit.
As part of Hinton’s plea agreement, he was required to forfeit $23,100 in drug proceeds, five firearms with assorted magazines and ammunition, as well as a Mercedes.
Hinton has a prior drug-related felony conviction from 2021, in Fayette Circuit Court.
Under federal law, Hinton must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; J. Todd Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Bryant Jackson, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by DEA, IRS, and Lexington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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