Kody D. Harless, 28, from Tomahawk, Kentucky, was sentenced to eight years and 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The sentencing took place on March 2, 2026.
Court records show that on August 15, 2023, Harless received about 4.75 grams of fentanyl in Huntington. After the transaction, law enforcement stopped the vehicle he was traveling in and seized the drugs. As part of his guilty plea, Harless admitted to arranging the purchase beforehand and intending to distribute some of the fentanyl.
Harless also acknowledged additional criminal activity. He participated in a conspiracy to receive both fentanyl and methamphetamine for distribution within the Southern District of West Virginia. According to his admission, from at least July through November 2023, he regularly obtained these substances in Huntington and transported them to Kentucky for distribution.
Harless is one of 27 people indicted for involvement in a drug trafficking organization accused of distributing large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Huntington. Both Harless and another co-defendant pleaded guilty to separate charges instead of those listed in the indictment. Twenty-three other defendants pleaded guilty under the main indictment; charges remain pending against others. The press release notes: “An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the sentence and praised several agencies involved in the investigation: “the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.” MDENT includes officers from multiple local police departments.
The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor prosecuted this case.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). According to information provided by OCDETF: “The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy.” The program coordinates federal resources with state and local law enforcement partners with a focus on dismantling significant criminal organizations.
