Sweep results in 20 receiving federal indictments for drug trafficking conspiracy
The Kansas City Missouri Police Department was the lead agency in a large sweep operation Oct. 2 that resulted in the federal indictment of 20 people in a drug-trafficking conspiracy. The indictments were unsealed Oct. 7.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Missouri, 16 of the 20 targeted suspects were arrested during a law enforcement operation that resulted in the seizures of firearms, heroin, other illegal drugs and large amounts of cash. About 200 local and federal law enforcement members participated in the operation.
The federal indictment alleges that all 20 of the defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute at least a kilogram of heroin, as well as cocaine, crack cocaine, oxycodone, codeine, and marijuana, from Jan. 1, 2011, to Oct. 1, 2019. Many of those suspects have been involved in shootings and other violent crimes in the Kansas City area.
According to the U.S. Attorney, officers executed a search warrant Oct. 2 at one home that was used for drug trafficking in the conspiracy. They seized approximately 350 grams of suspected heroin, a digital scale, packaging material, two Glock handguns, three AK-47 pistols and an apparent bullet-proof vest. Officers also found a stolen Jeep, riddled with bullet holes and missing the back window, that allegedly had been used by suspects in a shoot-out on Sept. 9, 2019, in the area of 35th Street and Woodland. Investigators also recovered live ammunition and shell casings inside the vehicle.
The operation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. Learn more about the arrests and charges on the U.S. Attorney’s web site.