August 20, 2015

Florida Man Sentenced to 84 Months for Role in Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin

LEXINGTON—Florida man, who supplied a network of drug traffickers in Mt. Sterling, Ky., with heroin, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves sentenced 33 year-old Alvin Jason Givens for conspiracy to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin. Under federal law, Givens must serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence. Givens is the last of 11 defendants involved in the conspiracy to be sentenced. The leader of the Mt. Sterling drug trafficking organization, Jeffrey Wingate, was sentenced earlier this year to 150 months in federal prison.

According to Givens’ plea agreement, from September 2013 until June 2014, Givens supplied Wingate with heroin, as well as oxycodone pills, to bring back to Kentucky and distribute. During the conspiracy, Wingate made several trips to Florida to acquire both oxycodone pills and heroin. In addition to the heroin, Givens was also responsible for the illegal distribution of 20,000 oxycodone pills, which was considered in determining his sentence.

Kerry B. Harvey, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Howard S. Marshall, Special Agent in Charge, FBI; Rodney C. Brewer, Commissioner, Kentucky State Police; David Charles, Chief, Mt. Sterling Police Department; and Fred Shortridge, Montgomery County Sheriff, jointly made the announcement today.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Kentucky State Police, the Mt. Sterling Police Department and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan Jr. prosecuted this case on behalf of the federal government.