A man from Dry Ridge, Kentucky, Rodney Ruggles, has been handed a 120-month prison sentence by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning. The sentencing, which took place on Thursday, was for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and oxycodone, alongside possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
In a plea agreement, Ruggles confessed to his activities after being stopped for driving violations on December 13, 2023. A search of his vehicle, to which he consented, led law enforcement to find a firearm safe with five grams of methamphetamine, a small amount of marijuana, 3.5 oxycodone pills, multiple baggies, and a pistol. Ruggles admitted to having these drugs with the intent to distribute and acknowledged possessing the firearm to aid in drug trafficking. He further admitted to distributing methamphetamine for weeks before his arrest, specifically from November to December 2023, obtaining about an ounce of methamphetamine every two days from his supplier.
As mandated by federal law, Ruggles must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Following his release, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.
The sentence was announced by Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Jim Scott, DEA Special Agent in Charge for the Louisville Field Division, and Sheriff Michael Helmig of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation was carried out by the DEA and the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel King is prosecuting the case.
