Andrew Maurice King, Fentanyl Trafficking, Ky 2023

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Andrew Maurice King, 29, of Lexington, is headed to federal prison for a substantial stretch after receiving an 80-month sentence Monday for trafficking fentanyl and illegally possessing a firearm. Chief U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves handed down the sentence, sending a clear message that dealing poison and breaking the law with weapons will not be tolerated in the Eastern District of Kentucky.

The bust went down on May 30, 2019, when Lexington Police Department officers raided King’s residence. What they found wasn’t a home, it was a stash house. Cops seized significant amounts of marijuana, oxycodone, fentanyl, and the particularly deadly analog, valerylfentanyl. Alongside the drugs, they discovered approximately $2,900 in cash, the tools of the trade – scales and packaging materials – and a Romarm SKS rifle. For a convicted felon, that rifle was a major problem.

According to the plea agreement, King admitted he wasn’t just holding the valerylfentanyl; he intended to distribute it. He knew he was peddling a substance that’s killing people across the nation, and he did it anyway. He also confessed he knew he was prohibited from owning a firearm due to his prior felony conviction. This wasn’t ignorance; it was a calculated risk that backfired spectacularly.

King initially pleaded guilty back in May 2020, but the wheels of justice grind slowly. Now, he’ll pay the price. Federal law dictates King must serve at least 85% of his 80-month sentence. And when he finally gets out, he’ll be under the watchful eye of the U.S. Probation Office for three more years, a constant reminder of his crimes.

The takedown was a joint operation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Louisville Field Division, and the Lexington Police Department. Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Jeffrey Todd Scott, DEA Special Agent in Charge, jointly announced the guilty plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Kiebler prosecuted the case, ensuring King faced the full weight of the law.

This case wasn’t just a local bust; it’s part of something bigger. It fell under the umbrella of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force’s (OCDETF) Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS), a nationwide initiative aimed at dismantling trafficking networks dealing in these deadly synthetic opioids. As the Department of Justice celebrates its 150th anniversary, cases like this demonstrate its continued commitment to fighting crime and protecting communities. More info on the DOJ’s history can be found at www.Justice.gov/Celebrating150Years.

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