Lexington man pleads guilty to drug trafficking after burying fentanyl in backyard of AirBNB

LEXINGTON, KY. — In a plea agreement filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Cameron S. Spencer admitted to possession with intent to distribute a significant quantity of fentanyl following an incident involving a short-term rental property in Fayette County.

According to the plea agreement, on February 19, 2022, Spencer made a last-minute reservation at an AirBnB, where he was the sole listed occupant. Despite this, surveillance footage revealed multiple individuals entering the property during his stay. The homeowners were alerted to Spencer’s presence in the backyard, where he was also caught on video digging a hole.

The morning after Spencer’s stay, a bag containing 226.15 grams of fentanyl was discovered in the same backyard area, according to the plea agreement. The substance, identified by the Kentucky State Police Laboratory, is a powerful Schedule II controlled substance often linked with the opioid crisis plaguing many communities across the United States.

Additional evidence suggesting drug trafficking activities was found inside the rental property after Spencer’s departure. This included a hydraulic press, a blender, sandwich bags, and vacuum sealer bags, none of which belonged to the property owners.

Law enforcement officials apprehended Spencer shortly thereafter in his vehicle near the rental property. During the arrest, officers found $2,295 in U.S. Currency on Spencer and within his vehicle.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, Spencer faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, with the potential for life imprisonment. The maximum fine for the charge could reach up to $8 million, alongside a mandatory minimum of eight years of supervised release after imprisonment. Spencer will be back in court Friday for rearraignment.