United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Missouri, woman has been sentenced in federal court for her role in leading a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of heroin in Greene County, Mo.

Jasmine D. Steed, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Thursday, March 25, to 16 years and eight months in federal prison without parole.

On Jan. 20, 2020, Steed pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin in Greene County from Nov. 15, 2016, to Nov. 3, 2018. 

According to court documents, the conspiracy was responsible for distributing more than three kilograms of heroin.  During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers utilized confidential sources to make controlled buys of heroin from Steed and others, and conducted surveillance of drug transactions with various individuals, including co-defendants Richard J. Smith, 46, of Springfield, and Rashad J. Moore, 28, of Branson, Mo. On several occasions, Steed had children in her car with her during the drug transactions.

On Oct. 17, 2018, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Steed’s residence and seized 24 grams of heroin. The owner of the residence told investigators that Steed paid $1,300 in cash each month for rent. Officers also searched a Waynesville, Mo., home that Steed was renting and seized a loaded Sig Sauer .380-caliber pistol and two bundles of cash that totaled $5,435. According to court documents, Steed continued to distribute heroin after those warrants were executed.

During the conspiracy, Steed used the proceeds of drug trafficking with her boyfriend to purchase an engagement ring for $14,000 and $20,000 to close on the purchase of a home. As a result, she must forfeit $34,000 to the government as the proceeds of illegal drug trafficking.

Smith and Moore have pleaded guilty. Moore was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison without parole and Smith awaits sentencing.

The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case with the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

OCDETF

This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.  Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.