United States Drug Enforcement Administration

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A man who was arrested in St. Joseph, Mo., with more than 11 kilograms of methamphetamine in his vehicle pleaded guilty in federal court today to drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms.

Mark Edmundson, 49, who has no known address, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On Jan. 2, 2023, St. Joseph police officers located Edmundson at a gas station after receiving information from the Brown County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Department that he had been involved in a shooting there. The officer initiated his emergency lights and stopped his patrol vehicle directly behind Edmundson’s SUV. The SUV then backed into the officer’s vehicle. At that point, the officer pushed the SUV up to the building with his patrol car to prevent its escape. Edmundson stepped out of his vehicle and was arrested.

When officers searched the vehicle, they found 25 vacuum-sealed bags that contained a total of nearly nine kilograms of methamphetamine in the back seat. Under the hood, officers found two more bags that contained approximately 901 grams of methamphetamine.

Officers also found an SCCY 9mm handgun between the center console and the front passenger seat. They found a Ruger 9mm handgun and two zip-lock bags that contained approximately 681 grams of methamphetamine in the back trunk section of the SUV.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Edmundson has prior felony convictions for delivering a controlled substance, tampering with a motor vehicle, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Under federal statutes, Edmundson is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the St. Joseph Police Department and the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.