Louisville, KY – A federal grand jury in Louisville returned an eleven-count indictment on June 21, 2023, charging four men with trafficking in methamphetamine and fentanyl, and one with a firearm offense and money laundering.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge J. Todd Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Bryant Jackson of the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Cincinnati Field Office, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, and Ron Eckart of the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force made the announcement.
According to the indictment, between January 1, 2019, and December 9, 2022, Chaz Hughes, 30, of Louisville, Kentucky, Joshua Salazar, 33, of Lebanon, Kentucky, Curtis Cunningham, 26, of Lebanon, Kentucky, and Steven Edlin, 49, of Loretto, Kentucky conspired to distribute 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture and 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture.
Hughes is also charged in a separate count with distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Salazar is also charged in a separate count with distributing 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and six-counts of money laundering. Salazar was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses. On July 29, 2011, in Marion Circuit Court, Salazar was convicted of trafficking in cocaine. On August 19, 2016, in Nelson Circuit Court, Salazar, was convicted of trafficking in cocaine, felon in possession of a handgun, and felon in possession of a firearm.
Cunningham is also charged in a separate count for distributing a fentanyl mixture.
As of today, Salazar, Hughes, Cunningham, and Edlin have all made their initial appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, Hughes and Salazar face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. If convicted, Cunningham and Edlin face a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case is being investigated by the DEA, the IRS, the ATF, the KSP, and the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari is prosecuting the case.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
