Source: Office of United States Attorneys
LEXINGTON Ky. – A Lexington man, Jamele Mundy, 35, was sentenced on Monday, to 156 months in prison, by U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell, for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, conspiracy to commit money laundering offenses, and concealment money laundering.
According to his guilty plea agreements and other Court records, Mundy participated in a multi-jurisdictional, international money laundering and drug trafficking organization. In doing so, Mundy received kilogram quantities of fentanyl and cocaine base (“crack” cocaine) for distribution in Lexington. In May 2023, DEA executed a search warrant at a stash house being operated by Mundy. There, they seized 3.132 kilograms of fentanyl, 2.314 kilograms of cocaine base, and $67,315 in cash. The residence also contained plastic blenders with drug residue, a metal kilogram press, heat sealing machines, and a digital scale.
Mundy would process these narcotics for further distribution, using the kilogram press and heat-sealing machine at the residence. He would then collect the money from the sale of these drugs and contact his source of supply, to return the proceeds. Mundy participated in this money laundering of drug proceeds by delivering bulk cash to others, who were responsible for converting it to cryptocurrency and sending those proceeds to members of the drug trafficking organization. In February 2023, Mundy delivered $147,540 in drug proceeds for laundering.
Under federal law, Mundy must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years. Mundy was also required to forfeit the $67,315 that was seized from his residence.
Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Bradbury is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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