A Cincinnati man has been found guilty by a federal jury in Lexington for possessing fentanyl and a fentanyl analogue with the intent to distribute. The conviction was reached after two hours of deliberation following a two-day trial.
Daquan Gatling, 32, was convicted of possessing with intent to distribute at least 100 grams of a fentanyl analogue and at least 40 grams of fentanyl. Evidence presented during the trial showed that on March 17, 2024, Gatling crashed his vehicle into a utility pole in the Georgetown corridor area of Lexington and left the scene. Officers who searched the vehicle discovered drugs, a scale, and plastic baggies inside a backpack located in the backseat. Testing confirmed that the substances included more than 100 grams of a mixture containing a fentanyl analogue and over 40 grams of fentanyl.
At the time of this incident, Gatling was under federal supervised release due to an earlier conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon in the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Paul McCaffrey, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Colin Jackson, Acting Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); and Chief Lawrence Weathers from the Lexington Police Department announced the conviction jointly.
The case was investigated by HSI and the Lexington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Winslow and Joel King are prosecuting on behalf of the government.
Gatling is scheduled for sentencing on June 16. He faces at least ten years in prison but will be sentenced according to federal guidelines and statutes. "However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing a sentence," according to officials.
