LEXINGTON, KY (Wednesday, June 18, 2025) – A Lee County man, Curtis Phillips, 45, was sentenced on Monday, to 360 months, by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to his plea agreement, on March 17, 2023, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office encountered Phillips passed out in a vehicle in the driveway of a residence. A search of the vehicle revealed over a kilogram of pure methamphetamine, a quantity of fentanyl, $8,000 in cash, and a set of digital scales for drug trafficking purposes. On June 18, 2024, Phillips was again encountered passed out in a vehicle by law enforcement. At his feet, law enforcement located a loaded firearm. Phillips admitted to possessing the firearm and knowing that he had been convicted of a felony, and therefore was prohibited from possessing the weapon.
Under federal law, Phillips must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
Paul C. McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Sheriff Jospeh Lucas, Lee County Sheriff’s Office; and Sheriff Tara Chadwell, Owsley County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the ATF, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and Owsley County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paco Villalobos is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
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