Security News in Brief: Lincoln County Man Sentenced to 240 Months for Fentanyl and Heroin Trafficking Resulting in a Death

Source: United States Department of Justice News

LEXINGTON, Ky. A Stanford, Ky., man, Donald Means, 55, was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison on Monday, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, after pleading guilty to distribution of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin, which resulted in the death of another person.

According to Means’ guilty plea, he illegally sold a substance containing heroin and fentanyl to an individual, knowing it was a controlled substance and its potency.  The victim ingested the drugs, resulting in their death.  According to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office, the victim’s death was caused by the acute, combined toxic effects of the drugs.

Means pleaded guilty to the charge in the indictment in January 2022.

Under federal law, Means 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 three years.

Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Sheriff Greg Speck, Pulaski County Sherriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Trimble.  

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