Purcell man pleads guilty to meth trafficking, money laundering

A Purcell man pleaded guilty this morning in U. S. District Court in Springfield to charges of meth trafficking and money laundering.

Judge David P. Rush ordered a pre-sentence investigation for Christopher D. Thompson, 37. No date has been set for sentencing.

Thompson, Daryl Weston, 39, and Kristina Buck, 37, were arrested in October 2016 after the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team and the Missouri State Highway Patrol executed a search warrant at the home Thompson and Weston were living in Purcell.

Weston pleaded guilty August 14, 2019 in U. S. District Court in Springfield to meth trafficking and money laundering.

The crimes were detailed in Weston's plea agreement:

During the search of the home, investigators located methamphetamine, which totaled approximately 11 grams of actual methamphetamine and approximately $14,822 throughout the home, which was from the proceeds of drug sales.

They also located a Weihrauch brand, model Windicator, .38-caliber revolver, with serial number 1068192, that was in near proximity to the drugs and money proceeds.

Weston possessed the revolver in furtherance of his distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual).

Located in the home along with Weston was Christopher D. Thompson, whose cellular telephone was seized.

A warrant was obtained to search Thompson’s telephone, and evidence located on the telephone demonstrated that Thompson had mailed a package for Weston to Weston's methamphetamine source in California on October 3, 2016.

This package was seized by the postal service on October 4, 2016, and contained approximately $8,980 in United States currency.

Weston also caused approximately $1,800 in United States currency to be wired to the methamphetamine source in California on September 17 and 25, 2016.

All three transactions were done in a manner to conceal or disguise the source, origin, nature, ownership, or control of the proceeds of the sale of methamphetamine.

Weston has yet to be sentenced. Buck's case is still pending.

A number of other people were later indicted for their roles in the meth conspiracy.