Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Bowling Green Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking and Firearm Offenses
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A Bowling Green man was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, aiding and abetting possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and the illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division and Director Tommy Loving of the Bowling Green/Warren County Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) Drug Task Force made the announcement.
According to court documents, Steven Phelps, 41, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, aiding and abetting possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and the illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On Aug. 3, 2022, in Warren County, Phelps possessed with the intent to distribute 2,433 grams of methamphetamine and provided 8.734 grams of methamphetamine to another person for resale. On that same day Phelps also possessed a nine-millimeter handgun. Phelps was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.
On April 24, 2015, in Edmonson Circuit Court, Phelps was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance, first degree, first offense.
On Aug. 15, 2011, in Edmonson Circuit Court, Phelps was convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine, first offense.
On Nov. 15, 2004, in Warren Circuit Court, Phelps was convicted of possession of a controlled substance, first degree, first offense.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the ATF Bowling Green Field Office and the Bowling Green/Warren County Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) Drug Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Yurchisin II, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.
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