A Lexington man has agreed to plead guilty to federal drug and firearms charges after investigators say he sold large quantities of methamphetamine and multiple guns to confidential informants during a months-long undercover operation in Fayette County.
Osama Omar Qasem entered into a plea agreement filed this week in U.S. District Court in Lexington, admitting to distributing methamphetamine and trafficking firearms in a case that had been scheduled for trial later this month. As part of the deal, prosecutors will drop several other charges, including a count accusing him of possessing a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to court records, federal agents used confidential informants to conduct four controlled drug and gun transactions with Qasem between January and March 2025. The buys took place in Fayette County and involved well over a kilogram of methamphetamine, some of it tested at more than 90% purity, along with several handguns.
Investigators say the operation began when an informant contacted Qasem seeking to buy drugs and asked whether he could also obtain firearms. Qasem allegedly told the informant he could contact an “arms dealer” and even “custom order” guns, including weapons that were “clean and new,” according to the factual statement included in the plea agreement.
On Jan. 21, 2025, agents say Qasem sold more than 112 grams of methamphetamine and a stolen Smith & Wesson pistol during the same meeting. Similar transactions followed in February, including one sale involving nearly 300 grams of meth. On March 7, investigators recorded a final controlled buy in which Qasem sold more than 200 grams of high-purity methamphetamine and another handgun.
Authorities arrested Qasem on March 18, 2025, when he arrived for what was supposed to be another drug deal. Agents say they found him in possession of additional methamphetamine and cocaine, along with a loaded semiautomatic firearm equipped with a large-capacity magazine inside his vehicle.
Under the plea agreement, Qasem will plead guilty to four counts: two counts of distributing large amounts of methamphetamine, one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and one count of trafficking firearms. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss four other counts at sentencing.
The charges Qasem is pleading to carry steep penalties. The drug offenses alone carry mandatory minimum sentences of five and 10 years in prison, while the firearms trafficking count carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years. His final sentence will be determined by U.S. District Judge Karen K. Caldwell at a later hearing.
As part of the agreement, Qasem also consented to forfeit property tied to the crimes and waived most of his rights to appeal his conviction or sentence. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest.
A rearraignment hearing, where Qasem is expected to formally enter his guilty plea in open court, is scheduled for Jan. 20.
