PRESTONSBURG — A Wheelwright man and business owner will spend the next eight years in prison after being being sentenced on multiple drug trafficking charges this past week.

Russell Johnson, 58, pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance and three counts of second-degree trafficking in a controlled substance during a pre-trial conference hearing in Floyd County Circuit Court on Friday, Sept. 18.

As part of the plea deal, Floyd County Commonwealth’s Attorney Brent Turner agreed to dismiss two misdemeanor counts of third-degree trafficking in a controlled substance.

Johnson’s defense attorney had asked that Johnson receive probation due to health issues and character, but the prosecution argued against leniency, citing the many years of drug activity in Russell’s Game Room, a small store owned by Johnson.

Circuit Judge Danny P. Caudill decided against giving Johnson probation.

Between January and May 2008 Johnson sold prescription narcotics on six occasions to law enforcement officers from Operation UNITE and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigation unit. A search of Johnson’s home and store netted over 300 prescription pills and approximately $1,900 in cash.

According to the plea agreement, Johnson will serve 10 years for the first-degree trafficking charges and two years for the second-degree charges. He will have to serve eight years in jail, with the remaining four years to be under supervised probation.