FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Nov. 30, 2011
KENTUCKY MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON ON OXYCODONE DISTRIBUTION CHARGE
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Clayton Lamonte Ferguson, 31, of Ashland, Kentucky, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release by United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of oxycodone. Ferguson pleaded guilty in August. On March 25, 2010, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) arranged a controlled purchase of oxycodone between a known individual and the defendant. Ferguson admitted that he met the known individual at a location in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, in order to complete the pre-arranged drug transaction. An undercover law enforcement detective from MDENT drove the known individual to the Cross Lanes location and observed the individual enter the defendant’s Dodge Durango with $1,800 in pre-recorded currency. Moments later, the known individual re-entered the undercover detective’s vehicle and presented the officer with 30 80-milligram oxycodone tablets that had been purchased from the defendant. Police subsequently conducted a traffic stop of the defendant’s vehicle a short distance from the location of the controlled purchase. Ferguson admitted that he was in possession of the pre-recorded buy money and a modified aerosol can with a false compartment containing approximately 35 80-milligram oxycodone tablets. Ferguson waived his Miranda rights and agreed to be interviewed. The defendant further admitted that he had distributed hundreds of oxycodone tablets to various individuals, including a confidential informant since early 2008.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks handled the prosecution.
This case was also prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by various federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, remain committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers in communities across the Southern District.
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