A multi-state drug trafficking operation has been dismantled following a major investigation that resulted in the seizure of 100 pounds of methamphetamine and a kilogram of fentanyl pills, along with illegal firearms. Nineteen individuals from Missouri and Kansas have been indicted for their roles in the conspiracy.
The investigation began in January 2024 when an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper discovered the drugs hidden inside a speaker box in a vehicle being transported from California to Springfield. A controlled delivery of the vehicle led to the arrest of four individuals and the seizure of cash, firearms, and additional drug paraphernalia.
Further investigation, including wiretaps, revealed a broader network of individuals involved in the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl across multiple counties in Missouri and Kansas. A series of arrests culminated in April 2024 with the apprehension of four individuals in Joplin, Missouri, who were found in possession of 10 pounds of methamphetamine.
The 19 defendants face a range of charges, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, money laundering, and illegal possession of firearms. If convicted, they could face substantial 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, of Independence, Kan.; William Earl Troester, Jr., 45, of Wichita, Kan.; and Kylei Paige Sullivan, 27, of St. Paul, Kan., were charged in an 18-count second superseding indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday, Oct. 1. That indictment was unsealed and made public today following the arrests of all remaining defendants.
The initial indictment in this case charged Dontrell Anthony Powell, 34, and his brother, Dreshawn Powell, 27, both of Springfield, and Willie Murry, Jr., 42, and Mark Monta Logan, 33, both of Parsons, on Feb. 6, 2024. They remain as defendants in this second superseding indictment.
The federal indictment alleges that 17 of the defendants, with the exceptions of Tolbert and Sullivan, participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl in Greene, Jasper, and Newton Counties, and elsewhere, from Jan. 1, 2022, to April 20, 2024.
The federal indictment also alleges that 14 of the defendants, with the exceptions of McKinzie, Crane, Morris, Sharp, and Watkins, participated in a money-laundering conspiracy.
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