A Lexington man, Eugene Laron Fishback, aged 32, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison by U.S. District Chief Judge Danny C. Reeves for five counts of drug trafficking. The sentencing follows a trial in June 2024 where the jury found Fishback guilty of conspiracy to distribute significant quantities of fentanyl and carfentanil.
Testimony during the trial revealed that between July 1, 2022, and December 7, 2023, Fishback conspired with others to distribute these substances. On October 11, 2023, authorities discovered over 7,000 fentanyl tablets and firearms during an eviction from his apartment in Lexington. Subsequent investigations led by the DEA and Lexington Police Department resulted in further seizures at a new residence and from Fishback's vehicle.
Fishback's criminal activities were compounded by an attempt to persuade his girlfriend Tedi Hawkins to retract her guilty plea via a recorded jail call. At the time of his federal indictment, he faced additional state felony charges.
Federal law mandates that Fishback serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before release under U.S. Probation Office supervision for five years.
The sentence was announced jointly by Carlton S. Shier IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett Jr., Commissioner of Kentucky State Police; and Chief Lawrence Weathers of the Lexington Police Department.
The investigation involved collaboration between multiple agencies including DEA, KSP, Lexington Police Department, and Fayette County Constable’s Office Third District. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roger West and Brittany Baker.
