A Detroit man, Khari Smith, 21, has been sentenced to over 16 years in prison for his involvement in drug trafficking. Chief U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves handed down the 200-month sentence on Friday for charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.
The investigation began in May 2023 when law enforcement started tracking an individual distributing drugs in Lexington. Authorities identified a vehicle used to transport drugs from Detroit to Kentucky. On July 10, 2023, a traffic stop was conducted on two vehicles suspected of being connected to the operation. Khari Smith and his brother, Khmari Smith, were found in one vehicle without any drugs present. In the other vehicle, Brianna Hanspard, another co-defendant from Detroit, was found with substantial quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Hanspard confessed to agreeing with Khmari Smith and others to transport drugs for payment.
Further investigations revealed that Khari and Khmari Smith continued their distribution activities using sources based in Detroit. Searches conducted at their residences in Lexington uncovered large amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine along with firearms.
Previously, Khmari Smith received a sentence of 384 months while Hanspard was sentenced to 84 months.
Khari Smith is required by federal law to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for release. Following his release, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
The sentencing announcement was made jointly by Carlton S. Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge at DEA's Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Chief Lawrence Weathers of the Lexington Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations through coordinated efforts among various law enforcement agencies.
