Jury Convicts Man of Trafficking in Fentanyl and Carfentanil
For Immediate Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Lexington man, Eugene Laron Fishback aka “Geno,” 32, was convicted Thursday, by a federal jury sitting in Lexington, of five counts of drug trafficking.
Following a four-day trial and approximately 90 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Fishback guilty of conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 10 grams or more of carfentanil. Fishback was also convicted of two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and carfentanil, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to testimony at trial, between July 1, 2022 and December 7, 2023, Fishback conspired with others to distribute fentanyl and carfentanil. On October 11, 2023, Fishback and his girlfriend, Tedi Hawkins, were evicted from their Lexington apartment. During a court ordered eviction, Fayette County Constables and members of the Lexington Police Department found plastic bags in the apartment, which contained over 7,000 fentanyl tablets, and four semi-automatic pistols, ammunition, and large capacity clips. Fishback and Hawkins later relocated to another apartment complex and came under DEA and Lexington Police Department investigation.
A federal search warrant was executed on the new residence, in December 2023. Execution of that warrant resulted in the seizure of more than 1,000 additional fentanyl tablets and a quantity of carfentanil. Fishback was later arrested from his vehicle, which contained another 1,000 fentanyl tablets and more than 10 grams of carfentanil.
After Hawkins had entered a guilty plea, Fishback attempted to convince her to withdraw that guilty plea, during a recorded jail call.
At the time of his indictment on these federal charges, Fishback had four pending state felony indictments in Fayette County. Additionally, Fishback has a number of prior felony convictions. .
“Fentanyl is an incredibly dangerous drug, which is involved in approximately 80% of all overdose deaths in Kentucky,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “And as awful as that is, carfentanil is far, far worse. Carfentanil is approximately 100 times more potent than fentanyl; this powerful opioid is actually designed for large mammals like elephants. It is no overstatement to say that removing these dangerous drugs from our streets will save lives. The dedicated work of our law enforcement partners in this case has unquestionably done that.”.
United States Attorney Shier ; Erek Davodowich, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division; and Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department, jointly announced the jury’s verdict.
The investigation was conducted by DEA and Lexington Police Department, with assistance from the Fayette County Constable’s Office Third District. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roger West and Brittany Baker are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
Fishback is scheduled to appear for sentencing on September 20, 2024. He faces up to life in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing its sentence.
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https://www.justice.gov/usao-edky/pr/jury-convicts-man-trafficking-fentanyl-and-carfentanil
