Sierra Monique Green, Martinus Shamar Watts, Fentanyl Trafficking, Kentucky 2020

Fentanyl Trafficking Netted Lexington Couple 20 Years in Prison

A Lexington couple, Sierra Monique Green, 24, and Martinus Shamar Watts, 31, both of Lexington, have been convicted of their role in a fentanyl trafficking scheme that left a victim fighting for their life.

Green and Watts pleaded guilty in court to conspiring with others to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury. Their involvement in the scheme lasted from March 2019 until September 2019, during which time they conspired with Karmon Jamel Watts, 26, to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl.

On March 20, 2019, Green and Watts delivered approximately one-half gram of fentanyl to a victim, who ingested a portion of the substance and lost consciousness. First responders arrived shortly thereafter to find the victim not breathing. After administering several doses of Narcan, the victim was revived and received medical treatment, but not before suffering serious bodily injury.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence shared by Watts and Green on June 20, 2019, where they located $67,000 in U.S. currency, 2 loaded firearms, and various controlled substances. In their plea agreements, both Watts and Green admitted that the currency was the proceeds of their drug trafficking activity.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA and Lexington Police Department, with the United States represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Todd Bradbury. The pair faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison for the crime of distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury, and a mandatory minimum of 5 years for the conspiracy to distribute fentanyl charge.

Martinus Shamar Watts is scheduled to be sentenced on November 19, 2020, while Green is scheduled to be sentenced on November 30, 2020. Karmon Watts, who pleaded guilty in May 2020, faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years imprisonment for the fentanyl conspiracy.

This case was prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), a focused enforcement effort that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas.

The investigation and prosecution of this case is a testament to the dedication of law enforcement agencies and the federal government in combating the opioid crisis. The consequences of fentanyl trafficking are severe, and the sentences handed down in this case are a reminder of the gravity of these crimes.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/pr/lexington-couple-plead-guilty-fentanyl-trafficking-resulting-serious-bodily-injury