HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) – A federal jury convicted two Owensboro men of methamphetamine charges.
Cedric Swanagan, 37 and Courtland Reed, 32, were convicted of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine between September 2021 and April 4, 2022, in Daviess County and other locations.
The jury also convicted both men of possession with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine on February 22, 2022, in Daviess County and other locations.
Evidence presented at trial included recorded phone calls between the defendants that were intercepted during a federal wiretap investigation and evidence involving approximately 876 grams of pure methamphetamine associated with the defendants.
The jury further found Swanagan had committed one serious drug felony, and Reed had committed one serious drug felony and one violent felony prior to committing the offenses in the case.
Officials state these findings increased the mandatory minimum sentences for both defendants.
Officials say the DEA and the Owensboro Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Indiana State Police, Kentucky State Police, Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, McLean County Sheriff’s Office and the Owensboro-Daviess County Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) Task Force.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 25, 2024, before a United States District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky. Officials say Swanagan and Reed both remain in federal custody. Swanagan faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison. Reed faces a minimum of 25 years and a maximum of life in prison.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Dahl and Josh Porter are prosecuting the case with assistance from paralegal specialist Aaron Cooper.
