LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Lexington man has agreed to serve 15 years in federal prison after admitting he sold large quantities of fentanyl while stockpiling firearms at his home, according to court records filed this week.
Donald Ray Adams Jr., 44, entered a binding plea agreement Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Lexington, acknowledging he distributed more than 40 grams of fentanyl and repeatedly sold the drug to a government informant from his Nelson Avenue residence in May 2024. He also admitted to possessing multiple firearms — including handguns, rifles and shotguns — to protect his trafficking business.
Federal prosecutors said undercover purchases from Adams escalated quickly. On May 6, 2024, a confidential informant bought suspected fentanyl in two bags, which later tested positive for more than 6 grams of fentanyl and a fentanyl-heroin mixture. Two days later, the same informant returned and bought more fentanyl, along with a Marlin .22 rifle. Another deal on May 13 included 26 grams of fentanyl and a loaded Smith & Wesson .380 pistol sold out of a toolbox that also contained additional weapons.
When officers executed a search warrant May 20, 2024, they found roughly six ounces of fentanyl, more than 150 grams of fentanyl pills, scales, and nine firearms. ATF later identified the cache as including a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun, a Savage .22 rifle, a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol, a Diamondback .380 pistol, and several other handguns.
Adams admitted he knew the substances were controlled and that he possessed at least two firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking. He also acknowledged a prior state conviction for trafficking in a controlled substance in Fayette County in 2015.
Under the plea deal, Adams will serve 180 months in prison — five years on drug charges and 10 years on firearms charges, to run consecutively. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to dismiss other counts, including charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He will also face at least four years of supervised release once freed.
The statutory penalties for the fentanyl charges carry up to 40 years in prison and $5 million in fines, while firearm counts could result in a life sentence if tried and convicted. By entering the binding agreement, Adams locked in the 15-year term, which Judge Karen K. Caldwell is expected to impose when she accepts the plea.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker is prosecuting the case. Adams is represented by court-appointed attorney Patrick F. Nash.
