Father, son accused of leading drug trafficking organization in Jeffersontown arrested

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A father and son accused of running a multi-million dollar drug trafficking ring out of Jeffersontown have been arrested by police on Thursday morning.

According to court documents, 39-year-old Joseph E. Lanham and 19-year-old Joseph M. Lanham were charged with enhanced trafficking in marijuana, engaging in organized crime and acquiring property with trafficking income.

Jeffersontown Police said the Lanhams were the leaders of a drug trafficking organization that brought millions of dollars worth of marijuana into the Louisville Metro.

“It was really a combination of tips from the public, prior narcotics investigations, good old fashioned detective work, and good communication with our neighboring agencies,” Detective Mike Lauder of Jeffersontown Police said.

Detectives performed a search warrant on Thursday morning at a Jeffersontown home on Pine Lake Drive, as well as other suspected locations. The report states around 20 pounds of marijuana, guns, drug ledgers, scales and money were found.

Neighbors told WAVE News the charges didn’t surprise them. They suspected something was going on because they saw visitors come and go at all hours of the night.

They said the Lanhams would leave for days at a time. One neighbor said the house always had a weird smell coming from it.

Multiple neighbors said they also saw police previously search one of the Lanham’s vehicles.

According to the arrest report, the father had purchased multiple homes that were paid for using cash acquired by trafficking marijuana.

Other items purchased with alleged drug money included expensive jewelry, designer clothing, apparel and vehicles totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in purchases.

The home on Pine Lake Drive was also purchased with money acquired in drug sales, the report states.

“People like Mr. Lanham are well-known amongst their peers in that world, and hopefully when word gets out about his arrest, hopefully that does deter future narcotics activity,” Lauder said.

The two men were booked in Metro Corrections on Thursday and are due in court on Friday morning.

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