Lexington residents arrested in ‘record’ drug seizure, Kentucky sheriff’s office says
Four Lexington residents have been arrested and the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office is reporting a record drug seizure after an incident at a local gas station.
Following a two-day investigation, local and federal officials seized more than 40 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, more than 4 pounds of cocaine, various amounts of fentanyl and heroin, and three guns, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation started Monday when the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office seized more than a pound of meth and “several hundred” fentanyl pills. Officials also found small amounts of cocaine, heroin and marijuana, according to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office said the drugs were being delivered to Laurel County.
Justin Cooper, Travis Jefferson and Christopher Brown, all Lexington residents, were arrested when the seizure occurred, according to the sheriff’s office.
Brown is facing charges of fleeing police, reckless driving, possessing heroin and buying or possessing drug paraphernalia, according to court records. Jefferson and Cooper were each charged with possessing a handgun as a convicted felon.
The sheriff’s office partnered with several organizations on Tuesday – including the Lexington Police Department, FBI and DEA – after the initial seizure to find the source of the drug supply.
The four agencies searched a home on Cambridge Drive in Lexington, which resulted in the seizure of about 43 pounds of crystal meth, 4.7 pounds of cocaine, approximately 19,000 dosage units of fentanyl pills, 30.9 grams of heroin and three firearms, according to the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.
Ariadna Lemus-Fuentes of Lexington and Jose Alberto Valles-Espinoza, a native of Mexico, were both arrested and face federal drug trafficking charges, according to the sheriff’s office. Federal court records weren’t immediately available for either suspect.
The London and Somerset police departments also helped with the investigation.
“The outstanding inter-agency cooperation was vital in the successful conclusion of these seizures and arrests,” Laurel County Sheriff John Root said in a statement.
The sheriff’s office said the seizures stemmed “from an incident at the 49er Fuel Center,” which is a truck stop off I-75 in East Bernstadt.
The sheriff’s office told the Herald-Leader Monday that it was attempting to make a drug bust on a vehicle when someone inside the vehicle pulled a gun on two other people inside and refused to let them get out, but officials didn’t immediately confirm Thursday if the two incidents were the same.