Two Men Indicted Federally in Bowling Green for Methamphetamine Trafficking

Bowling Green, KY – A federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned an indictment on May 15, 2024, charging two men with methamphetamine trafficking.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Erek Davodwich, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, and Sheriff Brandon Ford of the Allen County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.

According to the indictment, on March 22, 2024, John E. Marks, 61, of Scottsville, Kentucky, and Samuel Corey Vanmeter, 34, of Brownsville, Kentucky, possessed with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Allen County, Kentucky.

Marks made his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on May 20, 2024. Vanmeter made his initial appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky on May 21, 2024.

Both defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system.

The DEA Bowling Green Resident Agency and the Allen County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case with the assistance of the Kentucky State Police.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark J. Yurchisin II, of the U.S. Attorney’s Bowling Green Branch Office, is prosecuting this case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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