Published: July 05, 2009 09:55 pm      

3 to be sentenced for trafficking

ASHLAND — An Elliott County man faces up to 30 years in a federal prison after pleading guilty recently to selling oxycodone to an undercover informant.

Carson Jay Carter entered a guilty plea last month to a charge of distribution of oxycodone and to a forfeiture count in U.S. District Court in Ashland. Four other charges will be dismissed under the terms of his plea agreement.

In pleading guilty, Carter admitted he sold Percocet and oxycodone to a cooperating witness, who was wearing a recording device, on five separate occasions in 2007 and 2008. The transactions took place at Carter’s home and at a location in Morehead, according to court records.

The transactions eventually yielded a total of 202 pills of various dosage units. All were tested by the Kentucky State Police and found to contain oxycodone.

At the time the deals took, Carter was on probation on state drug-trafficking charges, documents state. Because Carter has more than two previous trafficking offenses on his record, he will be treated as a career offender for sentencing purposes.

Under federal sentencing guidelines for career offenders, Carter could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison, followed by up to six years of supervised release, and fined up to $2 million.

Judge David L. Bunning scheduled Carter’s sentencing for 12:15 p.m. Sept. 14.

In an apparently unrelated case, two other men are also scheduled to be sentenced today in federal court for illegally trafficking in prescription drugs in Rowan County.

Jason Clay Carter and Roger Martin Jr. pleaded guilty in March to selling oxycodone out of the Elliottville Diner, which they jointly owned. The two were obtaining the pills from Florida and Ohio, according to court records.

In pleading guilty, Jason Carter and Martin admitted they sold pills to a cooperating witness working for the KSP’s Drug Enforcement Special Investigations Task Force on several occasions in 2007 and 2008.

Jason Carter and Martin each will have three charges dismissed under the terms of their plea agreements.

The two also pleaded guilty to a forfeiture count in which they agreed to turn over a mobile home, $65,000 cash, a pickup truck, a car and a motorcycle to the government.

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.