OAKLAND — A Martinez resident has been charged with drug trafficking two years after a Contra Costa sheriff’s deputy allegedly searched his car and found five pounds of methamphetamine and 2,000 pills laced with fentanyl, court records show.
Kory Kingsley, 51, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl for the purpose of distribution. The first count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Prosecutors also sought the seizure of approximately $3,100 in cash and a handgun allegedly found in his possession, according to the indictment.
Kingsley remains in federal custody for now. At a July 9 court hearing, Judge Donna Ryu said she was prepared to release him to “confinement” at a halfway house in San Francisco as soon as a bed becomes available, according to an order in the court record. He is scheduled to appear in court again next month.
Court documents state that Kingsley was investigated by the Contra Costa sheriff’s office in 2022 after a confidential informant accused him of being a drug dealer. Investigators placed a tracking device on his Chevrolet and on May 25, 2022, followed him as he drove around Pleasant Hill, Pacheco and other locations where he was allegedly conducting drug transactions.
An officer eventually stopped the Chevrolet and searched it after a Pittsburgh police dog “alert[ed]” to the presence of drugs in the vehicle, police said. Inside, authorities allegedly found a 5-pound bag of methamphetamine, four ounces of heroin, 100 ecstasy pills and 2,000 pills containing fentanyl, according to court documents.
Meanwhile, at Kingley’s Jordan Court home, police arrested a woman on suspicion of attempting to conceal evidence and drug possession when she began loading a vehicle with various items from the home. The car was later found to contain cocaine, marijuana, fentanyl, a suspected methamphetamine pipe and $3,820 in cash. The woman refused to speak to police and was released without charges, authorities said.
A loaded firearm and ammunition were found in a safe in the home, authorities said.
