Staff report

A 63-year-old Ironton man is facing 8-12 years in prison after being found guilty of first-degree felony trafficking in drugs after he sold methamphetamine to an undercover police officer.
On June 21, a jury found Jackie Lee Miller guilty on the charge and on Wednesday, Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge Andy Ballard handed down a prison sentence of 8-12 years.
The case against Miller began in May 2023 during Project Bridge, an operation coordinated by the Lawrence Drug and Major Crime Task Force to connect people with substance abuse disorders with treatment and to arrest those who traffic in drugs.
During the investigation, Ironton Police officers stopped a vehicle and located methamphetamine from an occupant of the vehicle.
The source of the methamphetamine was determined to be Jackie Miller.
Officers from the Task Force, Ironton Police and Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office worked together to complete a controlled buy of approximately one ounce of methamphetamine from Miller.
Officers executed a search warrant at a residence where the controlled buy occurred. However, Miller had left before the execution of the search warrant.
After the Lawrence County Grand Jury returned an indictment against Miller, he was arrested in Greenup County, Kentucky, on Dec. 8, 2023, by members of the FADE Drug Task Force.