KCK man accused of drug trafficking

U.S. Department of Justice

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ---- Oliver Kimbrel, 53, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, one count of maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

The crimes are alleged to have occurred in February and March 2014 in Kansas City, Kan.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

• Possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine: A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million on each count.
• Maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $500,000.
• Unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction: Not less than 15 years and a fine up to $250,000.

 The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ward is prosecuting.

The defendant is innocent until proven guilty. 

Indictment: Washington men arrested in Kansas with more than 13 pounds of meth

U.S. Department of Justice

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - Two Washington men who were arrested in in Thomas County with more than 13 pounds of methamphetamine have been indicted on federal drug charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Jose Valenzuela-Rojo, 30, Pasco, Wash., and Rafael Gastelum-Castro, 34, Pasco, Wash., are charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

They were arrested June 8, 2015, in Thomas County.

If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is investigating.

Mexican nationals sentenced in connection to Kansas City cocaine smuggling ring

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that five Mexican nationals were sentenced in federal court today for their roles in a Mexico-based drug-trafficking organization that smuggled large amounts of cocaine and methamphetamine from Mexico to distribute in the Kansas City, Mo., area.

Alejandro Valencia, 32, Eric Octavio Rangel-Ortega, 33, and Alfredo Avitia, 34, all of whom are citizens of Mexico residing in Kansas City, Mo., and Juan Rodriguez-Ponce, 62, and his son, Juan Carlos Rodriguez-Maynez, 36, both of Mexico, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dean Whipple.

Valencia was sentenced to 24 years and four months in federal prison without parole. Octavio Rangel-Ortega was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole.

Prison space crunch drives new proposals for drug crime sentencing in Kansas

By ANDY MARSO
KHI News Service

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ---- A prison space crunch amid a state budget crisis is lending urgency to legislative proposals aimed at steering drug offenders toward community treatment rather than prison time.

The House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee, chaired by Rep. John Rubin, is looking at a couple bills that he said are meant to try a new approach after decades of stiff penalties spurred by the unsuccessful “War on Drugs.”

Corrections Secretary Ray Roberts has said for years that a significant portion of the state’s prison population has diagnosed mental illnesses, documented substance abuse issues or both.

De Soto, Kan., man charged in drug case

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ---- Felipe Sifuentes-Cabrera, 34, De Soto, Kan., is charged in a superseding indictment with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

The conspiracy is alleged to have occurred from Feb. 1, 2014, to Nov. 4, 2014, in Olathe, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million on the possession on each count.

The Olathe Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken is prosecuting.

LINK: Kansas considers legal action against Colorado for marijuana legalization

By NICK SLOAN
nick@kansascitykansan.com

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ---- Marijuana, while legalized last year in the State of Colorado, is not legal in the State of Kansas.

Now, it's possible officials in Kansas will seek legal action to make Colorado's legalization of marijuana unconstitutional.

Indictment: 26 Pounds of Methamphetamine Hidden in Driver’s Spare Tire

U.S. Department of Justice

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A California man was indicted Thursday on a federal charge of transporting approximately 26 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a spare tire, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Armondo Medina Gomez, 29, North Hollywood, Calif., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Two Olathe residents plead guilty to operating multimillion-dollar designer drug business

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Two Kansans pleaded guilty Monday to operating a synthetic drug business that generated at least $16 million in sales in less than two years, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Tracy Picanso, 58, Olathe, Kan., and Roy Ehrett, 56, Olathe, Kan., each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy, one count of producing and selling misbranded drugs, one count of producing and selling counterfeit drugs and one count of conspiracy to launder money.

An indictment unsealed in April alleged Picanso and Ehrett owned an Olathe-based business producing and selling dangerous controlled substances and controlled substance analogues of THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) and methcathinones (stimulants).

They sold products under exotic names including Pump It, Head Trip, Black Arts, Grave Digger, Voodoo Doll and Lights Out.

Some of the drugs were manufactured in buckets with drill-powered immersion mixers and tried out on “testers” who helped tweak the recipes by reporting on the drugs’ effects.

Kansas City man sentenced for trafficking crack cocaine in KCK

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A man from Kansas City, Mo., was sentenced Wednesday to 216 months in federal prison for trafficking crack cocaine near a playground in Kansas City, Kan., U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

Arrick Warren, 29, Kansas City, Mo., pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of Bethany Park playground in Kansas City, Kan., one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of the playground, and one count of maintaining a residence within 1,000 feet of the playground in furtherance of drug trafficking.

Warren initially was charged in June 2013 in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan. A criminal complaint alleged investigators with the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department arranged to make two controlled buys of crack cocaine from Warren, who was dealing drugs from a residence at 1026 Reynolds Ave., in Kansas City, Kan. On Jan., 16, 2013, investigators served a search warrant at the house, where they seized drugs, more than $25,000 in cash and a .45 caliber pistol.

Grissom commended the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Tomasic for their work on the case.

Drug traffickers sentenced to federal prison in Operation Broken Bone

U.S. Department of Justice

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - Six defendants have been sentenced to prison as a result of a federal drug investigation in metropolitan Kansas City dubbed Operation Broken Bone, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

The investigation targeted a drug trafficking organization that operated from January 2006 to November 2011 to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

The FBI, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas and other members of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDEFT) on the case.

The following defendants were sentenced May 16:

• Damian Mays, 24, Kansas City, Kan., 235 months in federal prison.
• Verdell Mays, 37, Kansas City, Kan., 225 months.
• Christopher Holliday, 26, 114 months.
• Frank Sharron Piper, III, 35, Kansas City, Kan., 135 months.
• Brenton Bassett, 38, Kansas City, Kan., 84 months.
• Cynthia Hatfield, 32, Kansas City, Kan. 3 months.

At the sentencing, prosecutors told the judge the defendants conspired together to distribute drugs and to maintain multiple Kansas City area residences where the drugs were stored, consumed or distributed.

The investigators arranged to buy drugs from the defendants and served search warrants in which drugs, money and firearms were seized.

Other defendants include:

• Gregory T. Moore, 37, Kansas City, Kan., who is awaiting sentencing.
• Daniel Bryant, 34, Kansas City, Mo., who is awaiting sentencing.
• Johnie Mitchell, 60, Kansas City, Kan., sentenced to 35 months.
• Marcus M. Williams, 35, Overland Park, Kan., who is awaiting sentencing.
• Michael D. Davis, 33, Kansas City, Kan., sentenced to 40 months.
• Ondre Durham, 40, Kansas City, Kan., sentenced to 30 months.
• Rahmann Easley, 35, Kansas City, Kan., who is set for sentencing July 17.
• Charles Easley, 38, Kansas City, Kan., who is awaiting sentencing.
• Joshua Jones, 28, Kansas City, Kan., who is awaiting sentencing.
• Raymond Cornejo, 53, Kansas City, Kan., who is awaiting sentencing.
• Lamar Brooks, 38, Kansas City, Mo., who is set for sentencing Oct. 21.
• Christopher Craig, 31, Kansas City, Mo., who is set for sentencing July 15.
• Jacquel Cunningham, 22, Kansas City, Kan., who is set for sentencing Aug. 5.
• Anthony Smith, 41, Kansas City, Mo., who is awaiting sentencing.

Grissom commended the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Kansas City, Mo., Career Criminal Division, the Riverside Police Department, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug for their work on the case.

Man accused of dealing methamphetamine, cocaine in Wyandotte County

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Javier Zambrano-Sanchez, 39, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, nine counts of distributing various amounts of methamphetamine and five counts of distributing various amounts of cocaine.

The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2012 and 2013 in Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million on the conspiracy charge.

Sentences on the other counts vary: Not more than 20 years, not less than five years, not less than 10 years, depending on the count. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken is prosecuting.

Bonner Springs residents charged with possession of methamphetamine

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Jose Angel Aquilera-Franco, 20, Bonner Springs, Kan., and Darin Glassburn, 44, are charged in a second superseding indictment with one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Dec. 5, 2013, in Kansas City, Kan.

In addition, Aguilera-Franco is charged with one count of distributing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of St. Peter’s Catholic School in Kansas City, Kan., one count of distributing methamphetamine and one count of dealing in firearms without a federal license.

Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:

• Distributing methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a school: A maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million.

• Distributing methamphetamine: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million.

• Dealing in firearms without a license: A maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000.

• Attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine: Not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Tomasic is prosecuting.

They are innocent until proven guilty.

Man charged with intent to deal methamphetamine in KCK

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Angel Guzman-Aviles, 26, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 3, 2014, in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.

He is innocent until proven guilty.

AG’s office sends 29 to prison for meth in 2013

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Working closely with local law enforcement, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office continued taking meth manufacturers off the street at a steady pace during 2013, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today.

Last year, the Kansas Attorney General’s office prosecuted 29 people for meth crimes that resulted in sentences of five or more years in prison, Schmidt said. Most drug prosecutions are handled locally, but the attorney general’s office assists local authorities in major cases or when otherwise requested.

“A vital key to addressing the meth problem is getting those who manufacture and distribute the drug off the streets,” Schmidt said. “The attorney general’s office will continue to assist local authorities in this critically important effort.”

Schmidt said the 2013 methamphetamine convictions included 17 state cases and 12 federal court convictions. The Kansas Attorney General’s Office can assist local and federal prosecutors with certain serious drug crime prosecutions.

To help combat the manufacture and trafficking of meth and other illegal drugs, two special task forces have been established in the southern regions of the state.

Local, state and federal law enforcement agencies work with prosecutors in the region to put drug traffickers and dealers behind bars. Schmidt has assigned prosecutors from his office to assist with meth cases generated by these regional task forces.

Three defendants convicted in $28.5 million drug conspiracy

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A federal jury has returned guilty verdicts against three men convicted for their roles in a $28 million drug trafficking conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Marvin Lee Ellis, 36, Kansas City, Kan., was convicted Friday on one count of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine, three counts of distributing crack cocaine, one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine, one count of maintaining a residence in furtherance of drug trafficking at 921 Haskell in Kansas City, Kan., one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.

Robert Vasquez, 40, Socorro, Texas, was convicted Friday on one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of money laundering.

Vernon Brown, 36, Kansas City, Kan., was convicted Friday on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine.

A fourth defendant, Kyle Stephen, was acquitted.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that the defendants were part of a drug trafficking organization that in October 2010 became the target of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Investigators worked to identify both suppliers and customers of co-defendant Djuane Sykes.

The investigation yielded the seizure and forfeiture of more than $2 million in cash, 194 firearms, 29 vehicles, 26 kilograms of cocaine and three kilograms of crack.

Prosecutors presented evidence that the traffickers employed a group of couriers who would transport cocaine and marijuana from Mexico to Kansas City, and U.S. currency from the Kansas City area south to be smuggled into Mexico. Robert Vazquez was one of those couriers.

On Jan. 13, 2012, investigators were watching when Vasquez met other conspirators at the Swift commercial trucking center in Edwardsville, Kan., and placed a bag inside his semitrailer truck. Investigators followed him to the area of Pratt, Kan., where the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped him and seized a black duffel bag containing $549,495 in U.S. currency.

During trial, prosecutors also presented evidence that members of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department’s narcotics unit working undercover were able to buy crack cocaine several times in February and March 2012 from Marvin Ellis at 921 Haskell and at other locations in Kansas City, Kan.

In addition, prosecutors presented evidence that Vernon Brown purchased quantities of crack cocaine from Sykes for several years and he sold it to individuals who came to the 2200 block of Russell to purchase drugs.

Ellis, Vasquez and Brown will be set for sentencing at a later date. They face the following potential penalties:

• Conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine: Not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $10 million.

• Distributing crack cocaine: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million.

• Maintaining a drug involved residence: A maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million.

• Conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

• Unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.

• Unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000.

Grissom commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service, the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead for their work on the case.

Kansas to hold National Prescription Drug Take Back Day this Saturday

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - Twice as many Americans abuse prescription drugs as the number abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens and inhalants combined, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Grissom called on Kansans to help solve the problem by participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, Oct. 26.

“All of us need to empty our medicine cabinets of potentially dangerous expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs,” Grissom said. “Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from home medicine cabinets.”

Grissom said more than 6 million Americans abuse prescription drugs and more accidental deaths are caused by drug overdoses than by car accidents.

About 100 collection sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at locations across Kansas. For a current list of drop off sites in your area, visit www.dea.gov and click on the “Got Drugs?” logo. For more information on the prescription drug abuse problem, visit: http://www.justice.gov/usao/briefing_room/dp/

KCK man charged with dealing methamphetamine

U.S. Department of Justice

KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- Rafael Penaloza, 38, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and 13 counts of distributing methamphetamine.

The crimes are alleged to have occurred at various times from June 21, 2011, to March 20, 2012, in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million on the conspiracy count; not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million on two of the distribution counts; and not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million on each of the other distribution counts.

The FBI investigated.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.

Olathe man pleads guilty to methamphetamine trafficking in KCK

U.S. Department of Justice

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - An Olathe man who trafficked in Mexican methamphetamine in the Kansas City, Kan., area faces a potential sentence of 18 years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Lorenzo Sepulveda, 34, Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. In the plea agreement, both parties agreed to recommend a sentence of 18 years in federal prison.

In his plea, Sepulveda admitted he was identified during an investigation initiated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into a methamphetamine distribution ring based in Kansas City, Kan. From May through October 2009 Sepulveda was involved in several transactions in which undercover agents bought methamphetamine from members of the conspiracy. In July 2009, for instance, undercover agents met conspirators in a parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant and bought $6,750 worth of methamphetamine. Sepulveda told them the methamphetamine had come directly from Mexico.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 16. In addition to agreeing to a recommended 216-month sentence, Sepulveda consented to a money judgment against him of $125,000.

Grissom commended the Drug Enforcement Administration and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Krug for their work on the case.

KCK man indicted on drug, gun charges

U.S. Department of Justice

A man from Kansas City, Kan., has been indicted on drug and firearms charges, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Joseph P. Pacheco, 41, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of carrying a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.

The crimes are alleged to have occurred Feb. 5, 2013, in Kansas City, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $5 million on the conspiracy charge; a penalty of not less than five years –  consecutive to a sentence for drug trafficking –  and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking; and a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.

The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel is prosecuting.

Chicago man charged in KCK drug case

U.S. Department of Justice

Jimy Flores, 33, Chicago, Ill., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The crime is alleged to have occurred April 16, 2013, in Kansas City, Kan. If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million.

The FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri McCracken is prosecuting. He is innocent until proven guilty.