15 people, including Seneca man, three Joplin residents indicted for meth, fentanyl trafficking

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

Fifteen more defendants 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 and a kilogram of fentanyl pills hidden in a vehicle being transported from San Bernadino, Cal. to Springfield, Mo.

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.

Several defendants also are charged in various counts related to drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms.

According to court documents, investigation into the drug-trafficking organization began when a Trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol searched a vehicle on a car hauler at a truck stop in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Jan. 17, 2024. The Trooper found approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine and two pounds of fentanyl pills hidden in a subwoofer speaker box in the cargo area of the car, a Dodge Magnum. The driver of the car hauler, who was not involved in the drug shipment, agreed to deliver the Dodge Magnum to its destination at a parking lot in Springfield.

Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration removed the fentanyl pills from the Dodge Magnum and replaced most of the methamphetamine with sham methamphetamine before conducting a controlled delivery of the vehicle the next morning. On January 18, 2024, Dontrell Powell and Dreshawn Powell arrived at the parking lot together in a Mercedes while Murry and Mark Logan arrived together in a BMW. Dontrell Powell met with the driver of the car hauler to sign for the Dodge Magnum and attempted to start the vehicle, but the battery was dead. Murray and Mark Logan helped jump start the Dodge Magnum, and Dontrell Powell drove it out of the parking lot as the other three men followed in their vehicles. Agents followed the three vehicles to Dontrell Powell’s residence, where they were arrested.

Agents also searched Dontrell Powell’s residence and found, in addition to the controlled delivery from the Dodge Magnum, an AM-15 pistol, .223 ammunition, several high-capacity magazines with ammunition, more than $100,000 in cash, and drug paraphernalia. Agents also found a loaded Glock pistol in one of the vehicles, numerous cell phones, four more large subwoofer boxes (two of which contained shards of crystal methamphetamine), and drug paraphernalia.

Following the controlled delivery of the Dodge Magnum, agents obtained a court order authorizing the interception of wire and electronic communications over three cellular phones being utilized by Mark Logan’s brother, Stevie Logan, in connection with his distribution of methamphetamine.

The investigation culminated on April 20, 2024, when Stevie Logan received a call from McKinzie requesting methamphetamine. Stevie Logan directed Kelly and Williams to retrieve methamphetamine from Jennings’ residence in Parsons, Kan. Kelly and Williams picked Stevie Logan up from a gas station in Pittsburg, Kan., and the three men traveled to a hotel in Joplin, Mo. As McKinzie approached the vehicle, all four men were arrested. Agents searched the vehicle and located approximately 10 pounds of methamphetamine inside of a large tub.

Agents also searched McKinzie’s hotel room and located an additional five ounces of methamphetamine and three firearms.

In addition to the two conspiracies, Dontrell Powell is charged with one count of money laundering, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Dontrell Powell allegedly possessed an Anderson Manufacturing AM-15 multi-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol on January 18, 2024. Dontrell Powell allegedly possessed another Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol on June 12, 2022. Dontrell Powell is subject to enhanced penalties resulting from a prior felony conviction for possession of dangerous drugs for sale.

Dontrell Powell, Murry, Dreshawn Powell, and Mark Logan are charged together in one count of attempting to possess methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

Murry and Mark Logan also are charged together in one count of traveling across state lines from Kansas to Missouri with the intent to carry on or facilitate an unlawful activity (possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl).

Stevie Logan, Kelly, Williams, and Jennings are charged together in one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and McKinzie is charged with one count of attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Stevie Logan, Kelly, and Williams are charged together in one count of traveling across state lines from Kansas to Missouri with the intent to carry on or facilitate an unlawful activity (possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine).

McKinzie also is charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. McKinzie allegedly possessed an Arcadia Machine & Tool .45-caliber pistol, a Ruger 9mm pistol, and a Sundance .25-caliber pistol on April 20, 2024.

Sharp also is charged with two counts of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Sharp allegedly possessed a Sig Sauer .45-caliber pistol on May 3, 2021.

Crane also is charged with one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.

The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Parsons, Kan., Police Department, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, and the Labette County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department.