Arrests this week are tied to 100 pounds of meth seized in January
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Fifteen more defendants, many from Parsons or Southeast Kansas, 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, California, to Springfield, Missouri.
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; William Edward McKinzie, 52, Juston Dean Crane, 39, and Gary Jay Watkins Jr., 54, all of Joplin, Missouri; James Richard Sharp, 55, of Seneca, Missouri; Jon Kurtis Smith, 39, of El Dorado; Christuffer Allen Roeder, 28, of Independence, formerly of Parsons; William Earl Troester Jr., 45, of Wichita; and Kylei Paige Sullivan, 27, of St. Paul were charged in an 18-count second superseding indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Oct. 1. That indictment was unsealed Wednesday following the arrests of several defendants.
The initial indictment 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. They remain as defendants in the 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, in Missouri 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, the 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, Oklahoma, on Jan. 17. The trooper found about 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 before conducting a controlled delivery of the vehicle the next morning. On Jan. 18, 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, DEA 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 when Stevie Logan received a call from McKinzie requesting methamphetamine. Stevie Logan directed Kelly and Williams to retrieve methamphetamine from Jennings’ residence in Parsons. Kelly and Williams picked Stevie Logan up from a gas station in Pittsburg and the three men traveled to a hotel in Joplin. As McKinzie approached the vehicle, all four men were arrested. Agents searched the vehicle and found 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 Jan. 18. 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 in one count of attempting to possess methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
Murry and Mark Logan also are charged 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 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 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.
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 Police Department, the Labette County Sheriff’s Office and the Greene County (Missouri) Sheriff’s Office.
The Parsons Police Department released information on its role in the case. In early to mid-2023, local detectives began investigating citizen complaints of drug activity. Detective Brice Dickens developed information and partnered with the KBI. This partnership determined there was a sizable drug trafficking ring in Parsons. This information led to the collaboration with the DEA and the Labette County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation culminated in the second indictment and the arrests Tuesday of 15 people in Parsons and surrounding towns and in Wichita.
Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks said, “This case has been developing for over a year and has accumulated hundreds of man hours by staff. It is a large part of police work to keep information into a large-scale investigation a secret until there is an opportunity to act on it. This is the result. There were over 17 arrests throughout this drug enterprise and that is a devastating blow to the local drug trade. This investigation involved multiple drug trafficking organizations and is the largest drug roundup since the early 2000’s Operation Little Big Man in SE Kansas.”
Little Big Man led to 33 defendants pleading guilty in federal court, including Dheadry L. Powell, the leader of the crack cocaine trafficking organization in Parsons and Southeast Kansas. He was sentenced to life in federal prison, a term that was later reduced on appeal to 40 years. He was to be eligible for release in 2038 but he died on Feb. 12, 2023, while assigned to the Federal Medical Center Butner in Butner, North Carolina, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Parsons Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd stated, “Detective Dickens has proven himself to be a true asset, not only to the community but to the entire four-state region. This case was only done through his hard work and determination, and it will have lasting effects felt in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.”
This continues to be an ongoing investigation, and citizens are encouraged to “see it, hear it, report it.” All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. If anyone has any further information on this incident or any other criminal activity, please contact the Parsons Police Department at 421-7060, call the tip line at 421-7057 or email [email protected].
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
