Meth Kingpin Caught in Kentucky

A high-stakes methamphetamine operation in Johnson County, Kentucky, came crashing down Friday when Proctor Wayne Pennington, Sr., 65, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute over 500 grams of the highly addictive and dangerous drug.

Between October 2018 and April 3, 2019, Pennington conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine, obtaining the supply from a supplier in Louisville, Kentucky, and then distributing it to others in Johnson County. Law enforcement seized the methamphetamine from Pennington on April 3, 2019, and he was subsequently indicted in April 2019.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive, destructive force in eastern Kentucky, said Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Our Office, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to holding methamphetamine traffickers accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Pennington’s prior conviction for conspiring to distribute oxycodone has earned him an enhanced sentence. The defendant’s significant drug trafficking undoubtedly contributed to the increased availability of methamphetamine in the region, said U.S. Attorney Duncan. The defendant’s prior conviction for drug trafficking makes his conduct in this case even more serious. As a prior convicted drug trafficker, he is likely facing a more severe sentence for his crimes.

Pennington is scheduled to be sentenced on December 16, 2019, and faces a minimum of 15 years in prison, with a maximum of Life, as well as a maximum fine of $20 million. The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew H. Trimble.

Pennington’s guilty plea is a victory for the people of Johnson County, said U.S. Attorney Duncan. Our Office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to work tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle the methamphetamine trafficking networks that have plagued our communities for far too long.

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