LAWRENCE COUNTY, KENTUCKY MAN SENTENCED TO A DECADE IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING AND ILLEGALLY POSSESSING FIREARMS
CRIMINAL CASE STEMMED FROM SELLING OF METH, FENTANYL, AND MARIJUANA INTO CARTER COUNTY, KENTUCKY; STILL FACES STATE CHARGES IN LAWRENCE COUNTY
JULY 13, 2025 – written by WADE QUEEN
GONE UNTIL 2034-2035: KENNETH GERALD ISON II, 54, OF WEBBVILLE, KENTUCKY; WAS SENTENCED TO TEN YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR METH TRAFFICKING AND POSSESSION OF GUNS WHILE BEING A CONVICTED FELON.
A Lawrence County, Kentucky man was given a sentence last week to ten years in federal prison after a plea deal.Kenneth Gerald Ison II., 54, of Webbville, KY., was sentenced in federal court in Ashland, KY., on Monday, July 7, by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 120 months for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
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According to Kenneth Ison’s plea agreement, on September 4, 2024, troopers from the Kentucky State Police Post 14 in Ashland, Ky.,, assisted by the Grayson Police Department, obtained a search warrant for Kenneth Ison’s residence in Lawrence County and a vehicle used by Kenneth Ison.
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During the search, authorities reportedly found approximately 168 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 33 grams of suspected fentanyl, and marijuana.A lab test conducted later confirmed that 76 grams of actual methamphetamine were seized, as well as 26 grams of actual fentanyl.
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Authorities later reported discovering 17 firearms, one of which they said had been stolen.According to law enforcement, Kenneth Ison was on parole for a prior felony conviction of trafficking in a controlled substance from the Carter Circuit Court.
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That parole was just a small portion of Kenneth Ison’s lengthy criminal history, with at least 11 arrests during the past 20 years for a few dozen felonies, misdemeanors and motor vehicle traffic offenses, from November 2004, 9 in Carter County and 2 in Lawrence County, including his drug raid arrest in September 2024, whereupon shortly afterwards he was released from jail on a $20,000 cash bond.
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Kenneth Ison was indicted by a federal grand jury in Ashland, KY., on January 16, 2025. After a federal arrest warrant was issued, he turned himself into custody at the Jessamine County Detention Center in Nicholasville, KY. on January 17. He was transferred by the U.S. Marshals service first to the Bourbon County Detention Center in Paris, KY. on January 31, and finally to the Boyd County Detention Center in Catlettsburg, KY. on February 3, where he has remained in custody until July 9, when he was transported by the Boyd Countyto the Big Sandy Regional Detention Center in Paintsville in Johnson County, KY., as awaits legal proceedings to the state charges he faces in Lawrence County on the same drug, for which he was indicted by a Lawrence County grand jury in November 2024, but also additionally two new criminal charges against Kenneth ison,both of them for first degree bail jumping, after not appearing in Lawrence County Circuit Court, which led to his getting indicted again by a Lawrence County grand jury in February 2025.
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In his plea deal, Kenneth Ison confessed that he possessed the narcotics with intent to facilitate them, and that he possessed the firearms in furtherance of his drug trafficking.
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According to federal law, Kenneth Ison must serve at least 85 percent of his ten-year prison sentence.Upon Kenneth Ison’s release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 5 years. Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; John Nokes, Special Agent in Charge, ATF, Louisville Field Division; Colonel Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Chief Tony Cantrell, Grayson Police Department, jointly announced the sentencing of Kenneth Ison.
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The investigation was conducted by the ATF, KSP, and Grayson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Rieker is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Eastern District of Kentucky, Acting U.S. Attorney McCaffrey coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.
