United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for using his residence for trafficking methamphetamine and for illegally possessing firearms. Anthony Brandon, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark on Monday, March 4, to 18 years in federal prison without parole. Brandon...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Carl Junction, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for methamphetamine trafficking and illegally possessing a firearm. Chet Edwin Mercer, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Thursday, Feb. 29, to 12 years in federal prison without parole. On Oct. 12...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for selling methamphetamine and heroin on the dark web. John M. LeCoque, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered LeCoque to...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A southern Illinois district judge sentenced an Arkansas man to 30 years in prison for trafficking about 40 pounds of methamphetamine through the Metro East St. Louis region. Christopher Palmer, 40, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, pleaded guilty on June 29, 2023, to one count of...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Springfield, Mo., men and two Parsons, Kansas, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy after law enforcement officers seized 100 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a vehicle being transported from California, as well as several firearms...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for possessing more than 1.2 kilograms of methamphetamine to distribute and illegally possessing two firearms. Christopher Kelley, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 16 years and six months in federal prison without...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Fulton, Mo., man and a Florence, Mo., woman were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Matthew Gunnar White, 32, of Fulton, and Krista Huddleston, 30, of Florence, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Roseann...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and for illegally possessing eight firearms. Nicholas G. Gutierrez, 43, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Tuesday, Jan. 23, to 15 years in...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a semi-truck driver to 12 years in federal prison after he admitted to hauling 88 pounds of heroin, fentanyl, meth and cocaine through southern Illinois. Ledaniel Russell, 50, of Fort Worth, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal grand jury returned a seven-count indictment charging 11 individuals in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in southern Illinois and across the country. The indictment charges: Rogelio Martinez-Becerra, also known as “Rodrigo” or “Chaparro” (Shorty), 35, and Ricardo...