A significant investigation that resulted in the recovery of 100 pounds of methamphetamine, a kilogram of fentanyl pills, and illegal guns has disrupted a multi-state narcotics trafficking ring. Missouri and Kansas have charged 19 individuals for their involvement in the plot.
The inquiry began in January 2024, when an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper discovered the cocaine stashed within a speaker box in a truck traveling from California to Springfield. A controlled car delivery resulted in the arrest of four people and the confiscation of cash, guns, and additional drug paraphernalia.
Further investigation, using wiretaps, revealed a larger network of people involved in the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl throughout Missouri and Kansas. In April 2024, a series of arrests reached their peak when authorities apprehended four individuals in Joplin, Missouri, carrying 10 pounds of methamphetamine.
The 19 defendants face a variety of allegations, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, money laundering, and illegal possession of guns. If convicted, they may face lengthy prison sentences.
Defendants:
Stevie Delane Logan, Jr., 34, Daron Cortez Kelly, 36, Damion Williams, 34, Necole Jennings, 47, Osric Rashaad Edwards, 25, Shawn Weston Morris, 54, and Rikkita Charnay Tolbert, 37, all of Parsons, Kan.; William Edward McKinzie, 52, Juston Dean Crane, 39, and Gary Jay Watkins, Jr., 54, all of Joplin, Mo.; James Richard Sharp, 55, of Seneca, Mo.; Jon Kurtis Smith, 39, of El Dorado, Kan.; Christuffer Allen Roeder, 28 Today, we unsealed and made the indictment public after arresting all remaining defendants.
On February 6, 2024, the initial indictment in this case indicted Dontrell Anthony Powell, 34, and his brother Dreshawn Powell, 27, both of Springfield, as well as Willie Murry, Jr., 42, and Mark Monta Logan, 33, all of Parsons. They remain defendants in the second superseding indictment.
According to the federal indictment, 17 of the defendants, with the exception of Tolbert and Sullivan, conspired to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl in Greene, Jasper, and Newton counties, among other places, between January 1, 2022, and April 20, 2024.
The federal indictment also states that 14 of the defendants, with the exception of McKinzie, Crane, Morris, Sharp, and Watkins, were involved in a money laundering scheme.
