Dangerous Louisville Felon With Gang Ties Sentenced 20 Years for Armed Drug Distribution
Significant Sentence for a Habitual Drug Dealer With a History of Gang Membership and Violence
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – United States District Court Judge Rebecca G. Jennings sentenced Jamar Garrison, 33, of Louisville, Kentucky, to 20 years of federal imprisonment followed by 6 years of supervised release for possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system.
“This case sets the bar for what law enforcement collaboration can look like in Louisville,” stated U.S. Attorney Russell Coleman. “What started as a vehicle stop by intrepid LMPD officers resulted in a trigger-puller doing hard time in federal prison.”
Garrison was convicted on July 27, 2018 in United States District Court on charges of possession of heroin with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. Garrison had been released on bond for state drug trafficking charges when he was arrested after being found in possession of a loaded semiautomatic handgun, a mixture of heroin and fentanyl packaged for sale, several thousand dollars cash, and assorted other narcotics. The follow-up investigation revealed that while released on bond on multiple pending felony drug indictments in Jefferson Circuit Court, Garrison used vehicles rented in the names of third parties in order to transport and traffic in heroin all over Louisville.
According to a sentencing memo, Garrison is a 27 time convicted felon with prior convictions for drug trafficking, robbery, felony assault, identity theft, wanton endangerment, wanton endangerment of a police officer, felony fleeing and evading, and assorted other felony and misdemeanor crimes. He was arrested five times in 2017 while on felony bond for drug trafficking. Garrison has also been convicted for 16 misdemeanor offenses. At age 22, Garrison was convicted in connection with an organized crime prosecution targeting the Victory Park Hustlers/Victory Park Crips. As part of his involvement with the Crips, Garrison was convicted of facilitation to assault 1st degree (a shooting with serious injury), facilitation to robbery 2nd degree, facilitation of criminal syndication, and two separate counts of drug trafficking, among other offenses.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erin McKenzie and Marisa J. Ford, and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Louisville Metro Police Department, with assistance from the Louisville Metro Intelligence Task Force (LMINTEL).
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Kentucky. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.
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