Final defendant in reported Bowling Green drug conspiracy sentenced

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – One man has been sentenced to nearly two decades in prison in a reported Bowling Green drug conspiracy.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Kentucky, on March 17, 49-year-old Shantaja S. Hutchins, the final defendant in a six-person methamphetamine conspiracy centered in Bowling Green, was sentenced to serve 18.5 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Court records state Hutchins invested in large amounts of methamphetamine, which were obtained by 40-year-old Leroy B. Riggsbee.

According to officials, the conspiracy involved the transportation of “77 pounds of methamphetamine from the Atlanta, Georgia area to Bowling Green.”

Officials say that methamphetamine was seized after a traffic stop on a vehicle occupied by 43-year-old Joseph A. Raby and 27-year-old Brandon T. Trent on January, 4, 2023.

Hutchins was in a separate car following both individuals back from Georgia, officials say.

Hutchins was sentenced this past Tuesday for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The following were also sentenced in relation to this case, officials say:

• Riggsbee was sentenced in November 2025 to serve 17.5 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
• Fifthy-three-year-old Jeffery W. Glass was sentenced in February 2025 to serve 4 3/4 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role as a co-conspirator.
• Thirty-one-year-old Tyler P. Houchens was sentenced in November 2024 to serve 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role as a co-conspirator. According to officials, Houchens fled police during this conspiracy and was found to possess for resale 10 pounds of methamphetamine.
• Raby was sentenced in November 2023 to serve nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his role as a co-conspirator.
• Trent was sentenced in May 2024 to serve two years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his role as a co-conspirator.
• Forty-three-year-old Antoine J. Bass was charged with selling methamphetamine on two occasions. Officials say in November 2023, he was sentenced to serve six years and seven months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, for his role as a street level drug dealer.

Bowling Green/Warren County AHIDTA Drug Task Force director Tommy M. Loving stated, “This case is another example of the strong partnerships and collaboration between state, local, and federal law enforcement agencies. Through this joint effort with the ATF, investigators made what we believe to be a record seizure in a single case—77 pounds of methamphetamine that was being transported back into Warren County. Today’s final sentencing ensures that the primary individuals responsible for this operation will no longer be able to distribute their poison in South Central Kentucky. We commend the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky for its continued dedication to prosecuting major drug traffickers and helping keep our communities safe.”

There is no parole in the federal system.