A Michigan man who prosecutors said regularly distributed methamphetamine and heroin to dealers in Johnson and Magoffin counties pleaded guilty recently to a charge of conspiracy in federal court.
According to court documents, on March 21, Jayshawn Robinson, 29, of Circle Drive, Pontiac, Michigan, pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, marking the third of four defendants to plead guilty in the case.
The others who have pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy in the case are Charles A. Chandler Sr., 53, of Ky. 581, Tutor Key, who pleaded guilty March 1, and Cory Johnson, 33, of Elk Creek Road, Salyersville, who pleaded guilty March 15. The fourth defendant, Ashley Johnson, 35, of Elk Creek Road, Salyersville, filed a motion on March 21, asking to be rearraigned, a process which typically leads to the defendant pleading guilty.
According to the plea agreement in Robinson’s case, Robinson is a Michigan-based supplier of methamphetamine and heroin, who, with assistance from others, regularly distributed those substances to other dealers in Johnson and Magoffin counties. In total, the agreement said, Robinson and others worked together to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine in Eastern Kentucky.
On Aug. 12, 2021, court documents said, law enforcement conducted a search warrant at Chandler’s Johnson County residence, during which officers located more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and $18,819. Chandler, the agreement said, had obtained the methamphetamine from Robinson.
Later that day, the agreement said, law enforcement intercepted another delivery of more than 400 grams of methamphetamine and more than 10 grams of heroin that an associate of Robinson was trying to deliver to Chandler.
On that same day, court documents said, Robinson and Cory Johnson traveled to Chandler’s residence to collect money Chandler owed for prior deliveries of heroin and methamphetamine, but Robinson was arrested at that time.
According to the agreement, on Oct. 13, 2021, while Robinson was incarcerated in the Pike County Detention Center, he made arrangements to purchase a substance containing heroin, fentanyl and para-flurofentanyl from two other inmates who had smuggled the substance into the jail. Robinson, court documents said, obtained some of the substance and intended to distribute it.
According to the court documents, prior to the Aug. 12, 2021 search of his residence, Chandler had developed a relationship with multiple, related sources of supply of methamphetamine. Through that relationship, the documents said, Chandler regularly obtained large quantities of methamphetamine he distributed within the Eastern District of Kentucky.
All three of the defendants who have pleaded guilty face between 10 years and life in prison, a maximum of fine of $10 million and a term of supervised release of at least five years.