Kentucky man sentenced to prison in drug, gun case

An Estill County man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on drug and weapons charges.

Kevin S. Abney, 40, pleaded guilty to possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute it; possessing a gun in connection with a drug crime; and possession of a gun by a convicted felon.

The case against Abney started in June 2018 when Berea police went to a gas station to investigate a report that a man was passed out behind the steering wheel of a vehicle.

Officers found the man, later identified as Abney, with a pistol under his leg and a bag containing fentanyl in his pocket, according to a court record.

There was a second pistol under the seat of the vehicle.

Abney had several prior convictions in Madison County for burglary and complicity to commit robbery, according to a court record.

“The defendant’s lengthy criminal history, coupled with his intent to distribute the deadly drug fentanyl while armed, led to his twenty-year sentence,” U.S. Attorney Robert M. Duncan Jr. said in a news release.

U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves sentenced Abney Friday in federal court in Lexington.

Abney must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence.

Fentanyl is a powerful painkiller that has helped drive up overdose deaths in Kentucky in recent years.