COVINGTON, Ky. - Trontez Mahaffey, a Cincinnati man, was convicted today by a federal jury in Covington for conspiring with Tyra Nelson, also from Cincinnati, and others, to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana and methamphetamine, which they transported in their luggage from Phoenix, Arizona to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on September 8, 2017.
After slightly under one hour of deliberations following a three day trial, the jury convicted 23 year old Trontez Mahaffey of the conspiracy charge and two substantive charges of possession with the intent to distribute 80 pounds of marijuana and four pounds of crystal methamphetamine.
According to testimony at trial, Mahaffey and Nelson were drug couriers for a drug organization with connections in Evansville, Indiana and Phoenix, Arizona. They had made approximately five prior trips transporting controlled substances to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport from Phoenix, Arizona and paid approximately $1,500 each time. Tyra Nelson, age 21, was charged in the same indictment, and pleaded guilty prior to trial.
Robert M. Duncan, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Shawn Ward, Chief, Airport Police Department jointly announced the conviction.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA and the Airport Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Laura K. Voorhees.
Mahaffey will appear for sentencing on March 9, 2019, and Nelson will appear for sentencing April 4, 2019. They each face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison due to the quantity of methamphetamine involved. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal statutes before imposing a sentence.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
