MAN WITH 67 POUNDS OF METH SENT TO PRISON FOR 19 YEARS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Kentucky Man Sentenced to 19 Years in Prison for Possession and Distribution of Methamphetamine and Carrying a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime

Defendant Obtained 67 Pounds of Crystal Meth in California and Shipped the Drug to His Todd County Home

Scott Windell Harris, 45, of Allensville, Kentucky,  was sentenced today in U.S. District Court  in the Western District of Kentucky to 19 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for multiple charges associated with firearms, possession and distribution of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. for the Western District of Kentucky.

Harris purchased 67 pounds of crystal meth during approximately nine trips to California, then shipped the schedule II controlled substance to a residence off Russellville Road in Todd County.  Harris, an unlawful user of methamphetamine, also carried a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking offense.

“Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug with devastating consequences to users, their families and communities,” said U.S. Attorney Kuhn.  “This prosecution closes a significant pipeline for dangerous drugs running from California to the streets of Western Kentucky.  We are grateful to the many law enforcement agencies whose coordinated efforts assisted my office in achieving this sentence.”

Law enforcement officials became aware of Harris’ criminal conduct in February 2015, when a package was intercepted at the Louisville, Kentucky, hub of UPS.  A search warrant executed on the package revealed 19.6 pounds of suspected methamphetamine being shipped from California to Todd County.   Later forensic testing of the methamphetamine at the Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratory in Chicago, Illinois, revealed a purity level exceeding 100 percent.  State and federal law enforcement officials conducted a controlled delivery of the package and observed Harris taking possession of the package and placing it inside a black van.  Later, a search of the van revealed a loaded Kel-Tec CNC Industries, Model P3AT, .380 caliber pistol with seven rounds of .380 ammunition in the van’s glove box.  At the time, Harris was an unlawful user of methamphetamine and, therefore, prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Harris made multiple trips to Los Angeles, California, where he obtained a total of 67 pounds of crystal methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of approximately $3 million.  Once he had the methamphetamine, Harris packaged the drugs and shipped them to his residence in Allensville.   When law enforcement officials arrested Harris, they searched the residence and found an additional one and one-half pounds of crystal methamphetamine, scales, baggies and just over $14,000 in cash.

Harris previously pleaded guilty to the charges on Oct. 13, 2015, in Bowling Green, Kentucky, before U.S. District Judge Stivers.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jo E. Lawless and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Kentucky State Police Drug Enforcement/Special Investigations West, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratory.