A Lexington man is set to plead guilty in federal court after authorities say they found nearly 100 grams of a potent fentanyl analogue hidden under the hood of his car following a traffic stop tied to a drug investigation.
Anderson L. George Jr. is scheduled to be rearraigned Jan. 20 in Frankfort, where he is expected to formally plead guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 10 grams or more of fluorofentanyl, according to court records. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison because of a prior drug trafficking conviction.
Federal prosecutors say the case stems from a Nov. 28, 2023 traffic stop after Lexington police believed George was returning from Detroit with narcotics. Investigators had obtained a tracker warrant for George’s vehicle as part of an ongoing drug investigation, according to the plea agreement.
Officers stopped the vehicle and reported smelling marijuana. George was arrested on an outstanding warrant, and police searched the car. Under the hood, detectives noticed missing and tampered screws on the air filter box. Inside, they found a vacuum-sealed bag containing suspected fentanyl and two additional bags believed to be cutting agents, court records state.
Laboratory testing later showed one bag contained 99.8 grams of a mixture of fluorofentanyl and fentanyl, while the other two contained no controlled substances. A latent fingerprint lifted from one of the bags matched George, prosecutors said.
In the signed plea agreement, George admits he possessed the drugs and intended to distribute them to another person.
Because of a prior felony drug conviction in Rowan County in 2018, prosecutors filed a notice seeking enhanced penalties. Under the agreement, George faces a statutory sentencing range of at least 10 years to life in prison, a potential fine of up to $8 million, and at least eight years of supervised release.
The agreement outlines a recommended federal sentencing guideline calculation based on drug quantity but notes that the final sentence will be determined by U.S. District Judge Gregory F. VanTatenhove. George has waived his right to appeal his conviction or sentence, except for claims of ineffective assistance of counsel.
The case had originally been set for trial in December 2025 before being delayed while plea negotiations continued. Judge VanTatenhove formally paused the trial earlier this month pending the rearraignment.
George remains in custody. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
