Two KC Men Sentenced for Methamphetamine Conspiracy

Kansas City, MO – Alberto Manuel Piggott and Diamond Lynell Cooper, both of Kansas City, MO, have been sentenced for their roles in a methamphetamine trafficking operation that distributed over 10 kilograms of the drug in the Kansas City area.

Piggott, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, participating in a money-laundering conspiracy, possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole on April 16, 2015.

Cooper, 34, pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking and money-laundering conspiracies, as well as aiding and abetting the use of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. He was sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in federal prison without parole on April 16, 2015.

The court also ordered Piggott and Cooper to forfeit $700,000 to the government, which represents the proceeds of the drug-trafficking operation. The money was seized based on a conservative street price of $2,000 per ounce and the distribution of at least 10 kilograms of methamphetamine.

The investigation into the methamphetamine trafficking operation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Independence, MO Police Department, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Co-defendants Bonnie Cortez Hernandez, Juliann Marie Savona, and William Gregory Smith, all of Kansas City, MO, have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Co-defendant Brittany Michelle Dugger, 26, of Independence, MO, was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison without parole on March 18, 2015.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades.

The exact criminal charges against Piggott and Cooper include:

• Conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine
• Participating in a money-laundering conspiracy
• Possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute
• Possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime
• Being a felon in possession of a firearm
• Aiding and abetting the use of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking

The case is number 14-00014 in the Western District of Missouri.

The defendants were sentenced in federal court in Kansas City, MO.

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