Covington Man Pleads Guilty to Distribution of Cocaine

FT. MITCHELL, KY—A Covington, Ky. man admitted in federal court today that he distributed crack cocaine and as a result he will receive a minimum of 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in August.

Hamed Abdullah, 33, pleaded guilty before United States District Court Judge Danny C. Reeves to distribution of a cocaine base.

In the course of his guilty plea, Abdullah admitted that he distributed more than 50 grams of crack cocaine in Covington from 2008 through September of 2009. He also admitted that he possessed approximately an ounce of powder cocaine in 2009 and intended to sell some of it. Abdullah conceded that he had a previous conviction in federal court for cocaine trafficking.

Abdullah was initially indicted in December of 2009.

Edwin J. Walbourn, III, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Elizabeth Fries, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, jointly made the announcement today after Abdullah entered his guilty plea.

The investigation was conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Covington Police Department. The United States was represented in the case by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony J. Bracke.

Abdullah is currently scheduled to appear for sentencing before United States District Court Judge Danny C. Reeves in Covington on August 23, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison according to the statute. However, the court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute before imposing a sentence.