PIKEVILLE, Ky. – A Shelbiana man was sentenced to life in federal prison for distributing fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of a victim, and for conspiring with others to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and para-fluorofentanyl.
Justin Bryant, 38, was found guilty by a federal jury in October 2022. According to evidence presented at trial, on October 12, 2021, Bryant smuggled drugs into the Pike County Detention Center and distributed them. The drugs contained fentanyl and para-fluorofentanyl, and their use resulted in the death of another individual in the jail.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Robert Wier made a finding that there was reliable evidence connecting Bryant to another overdose death in August 2021. The evidence also documented that, even after the overdose death of the victim on October 12, 2021, staff with the Pike County Detention Center and Pikeville Police Department prevented Bryant from bringing drugs into the jail on two additional occasions.
The conviction in this case is the most recent of 30 prior criminal convictions, which Bryant has received over the past 20 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; and Mike Riddle, Chief of the Pikeville Police Department jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Pikeville Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew H. Trimble.
Bryant will serve his life sentence in federal prison. The case is a reminder of the devastating impact of fentanyl distribution and the importance of holding those responsible accountable for their actions.
Related Federal Cases
- Thomas Coleman, Distribution of Fentanyl and Heroin, Kentucky 2020 · Kentucky
- Fifteen Defendants, Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Trafficking, Kentucky 2024 · Kansas
- Justin Clay Spencer, Armed Methamphetamine Trafficking, Kentucky 2021 · New Hampshire
- Robert Thomason, Methamphetamine Possession for Distribution, Kentucky 2020 · Texas
- David Miller, Armed Career Criminal, Kentucky 2024 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Kentucky
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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