LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two Kentucky men were recently sentenced to a combined 55 years in federal prison for selling large amounts of methamphetamine.
Cedric Swanagan, 37, and Courtland Reed, 32, both of Owensboro, were convicted last year for crimes committed between September 2021 and April 2022 in Daviess County and elsewhere. Swanagan was sentenced to 30 years in prison and Reed was sentenced to 25 years.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Both men were convicted of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine. Evidence presented at trial included recorded phone calls between the two that were intercepted during a federal wiretap investigation. Approximately 876 grams of pure methamphetamine were associated with the defendants.
The jury further found Swanagan committed one serious drug felony, and Reed committed one serious drug felony and one violent felony prior to committing the offenses in this case. Those findings increased the mandatory minimum sentences for both men.
“I commend the outstanding work of the trial team, the DEA, and the Owensboro Police Department for their untiring work and dedication during the investigation and prosecution of this case,” said U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett, of the Western District of Kentucky. “In addition, the assistance provided by our federal, state, and local partners from across the area was crucial to ensuring a successful prosecution of the defendants. The lengthy prison sentences handed down by the Court will make the Western District safer for all who live, work, and visit here.”
The DEA and the Owensboro Police Department investigated this case, with assistance from the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Indiana State Police, the Kentucky State Police, the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office, the McLean County Sheriff’s Office, and the Owensboro-Daviess County Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AHIDTA) Task Force.
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