U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning sentenced Butch Norvell to 60 months Tuesday for his guilty plea to aiding and abetting his son who conspired with others to drive from Ohio to Kentucky to purchase marijuana on Jan. 13. Ryan Norvell was sentenced to 68 months for conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, according to Kyle Edelen, public information officer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Kentucky.
The deal was brokered by a federal informant. The men, along with two other conspirators, were arrested in Covington before the purchase, Edelen said.
Butch Norvell is owner of Norvell’s Landscaping, which his older son, Chad, is continuing to operate. The family’s garden center outside of Trenton and West Side Drive-Thru in Madison Twp. are both closed. Both properties are for sale.
According to court records, Butch Norvell provided a truck to travel to Lexington to complete the marijuana transaction, and Ryan Norvell agreed to purchase the drug from an informant, according to court documents. Cash for the marijuana deal was provided by Samir Elmahouli of Dayton, according to court documents. A fourth man, Kevin Grindle, of Middletown, agreed to drive the truck to Lexington.
Grindle was charged with aiding and abetting an attempt to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute and Elmahouli was charged with conspiracy to distribute. Both are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 2, Edelen said.
Chad Norvell did not return calls Tuesday, but previously he said Ryan never worked for the family businesses but leased space at the carryout for a cellphone business.
In a letter sent to the judge before sentencing, Ryan Norvell said, “drugs have destroyed my life and I have lost everything I love due to drugs.”
Butch Norvell’s defense attorney Jonathan Fox stated in a sentencing memorandum that his client was a minimal participant in criminal activity and had minimal knowledge of the enterprise. He also noted the elder Norvell suffers from a number of health conditions. Fox could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
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