A Louisville man has been sentenced to nearly 16 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, Johnathan Hankins, 35, received a sentence of 15 years and 10 months on October 30, 2025. He will also serve six years of supervised release after his prison term.
Court documents show that Hankins was convicted for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute following two separate sales to a confidential informant in Jefferson County. On March 11, 2024, he sold 444 grams of methamphetamine; on May 22, 2024, he sold another 212 grams. Both transactions were recorded on audio and video. The drugs were tested by the DEA laboratory and confirmed as methamphetamine.
Hankins was sentenced as a Career Offender due to his criminal history. To be classified as a career offender under federal law, an individual must have been at least eighteen at the time of the offense, committed a felony involving violence or controlled substances, and have at least two prior felony convictions for similar offenses. Hankins had previously been convicted twice for second-degree robbery in Jefferson Circuit Court on October 27, 2010.
“There is no parole in the federal system,” stated officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The investigation involved the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with support from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Louisville Field Division and Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts prosecuted the case.
This conviction is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at countering illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and reducing violent crime through efforts coordinated by Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
