Lexington man accused of distributing fentanyl that caused serious injuries to two people
A Lexington man has been arrested on federal drug charges accusing him of distributing drugs that caused serious injuries to two people in Perry County.
Eli Ruffin, 35, was indicted by a federal grand jury in London on two counts of distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury, according to court records.
An indictment filed in U.S. District Court accuses Ruffin of intentionally distributing “a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, the use of which resulted in serious bodily injury” to two people identified in court documents as “L.M.” and “J.P.” The indictment says the crimes were committed on or around March 3 in Perry County.
Ruffin was also indicted on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. The indictment accuses Ruffin and another person who has not been publicly identified of distributing heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine in Perry County and elsewhere between March 2018 and March 2021.
Ruffin was arrested Thursday by a DEA officer and was being held in the Laurel County Correctional Center, according to the jail’s website.
The Hazard Police Department warned the public about a string of overdoses in Perry County earlier this month.
Hazard police said they found three people dead of suspected overdoses in an apartment, along with a fourth person who needed medical attention, in one apartment early the morning of March 4. Soon after that, police said there were at least eight other overdoses that did not result in death in Perry County.
Hazard police said in a statement March 6 that they were investigating the “large scale” drug case with the Drug Enforcement Agency. They said they had obtained the substance that was thought to have caused the overdoses, and it was believed to contain fentanyl or carfentanil.
