Joplin man receives 20 years in prison on meth trafficking, weapons charges

During a hearing today in U. S. District Court in Springfield, a Joplin man was sentenced to 15 years for meth trafficking and five years on a weapons charge with the terms to run consecutively.

Chris Meister, 41, pleaded guilty February 28. His crimes were described in court records.

Meister was arrested Monday after officers conducted a controlled-delivery of a package suspected of containing narcotics at a Joplin residence, according to a detention motion filed by the U. S. Attorney's office.

Defendant accepted the package and returned to the residence, at which time officers executed a previously obtained search warrant.

Defendant was found in the master bedroom with the package and a loaded, .45-caliber firearm within reach.

A search of the package Defendant accepted yielded approximately 10 pounds of suspected methamphetamine.