United States Drug Enforcement Administration

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and for illegally possessing a firearm. Ryan Edwad Knudsen, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 10 years in federal prison without parole...

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White on Tuesday sentenced a man who provided the fentanyl that killed a Florissant, Missouri, woman in 2020 to 13.5 years in prison. Jerome Middleton, 46, of Calverton Park, Mo., pleaded guilty in June to a felony charge of knowingly distributing fentanyl...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Three Springfield, Mo., men were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a conspiracy that distributed nearly 38 kilograms of fentanyl in southwest Missouri and resulted in several overdose deaths. Darryl Turner, also known as “D,” 59, Elmer E. Freeman, also known as “Duck,” 56...

WICHITA, Kan. – A Wichita man was sentenced five years in prison for having a gun while trafficking narcotics. According to court documents, Clinton Bruner, 59, of Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The charge stems from a...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Joseph, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and for illegally possessing firearms. Roderick A. Hughes, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 17 years in federal prison without parole. On...

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Hector Manuel Cruz, Jr., 29, of Chandler, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. On April 25, 2023, Cruz pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Co-defendant Konstantin...

TUCSON, Ariz. – Oswaldo Lopez-Escobar, of Mexico, was charged by complaint on October 5, 2023, for Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine. The complaint alleges that, on October 4, 2023, Lopez-Escobar, driving a semi-truck, applied for admission into the United States from Mexico at the Mariposa Port of Entry in...

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a man from Chesterfield, Missouri who was caught with more than 2,000 capsules containing fentanyl and two stolen guns to 72 months in prison. Travionne D. Shelton, now 30, pleaded guilty in June to two felony charges: possession...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for leading a large heroin trafficking organization with his wife. Larry K. Hayward, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 20 years in federal prison without parole. On Aug. 24, 2022, Hayward was...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fifteen Kansas City, Mo., area residents have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute PCP and for illegally possessing firearms. Russell L. Spencer II, also known as “Russ,” 44, Charles N. Hill, also known as “Chuck Wagon,” 42...