Bates City Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

A Bates City, Missouri, man has been sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole for distributing nearly 100 kilograms of methamphetamine and possessing an illegal firearm, authorities announced.

Daniel Dewayne Gregg, 58, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough on Wednesday, August 11, to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

According to court documents, Gregg was responsible for distributing 98 kilograms of methamphetamine. Law enforcement officers identified Gregg as a major supplier of methamphetamine trafficking following several controlled drug purchases.

Officers executed a search warrant at Gregg’s residence on September 11, 2020, and placed him under arrest. During the search, officers found a large firearms safe in the basement of Gregg’s residence that contained 22 firearms and a large amount of cash.

Gregg told officers that he had been dealing crystal methamphetamine continuously for at least the past six months. Gregg stated that he was a kilogram-level dealer of crystal methamphetamine and had sold, at a conservative minimum, at least 12 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine per month for the past six months.

Gregg was on supervised release at the time of this offense after serving a sentence of 100 months in federal prison for a conviction of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Gregg has numerous prior convictions, including multiple controlled substances convictions.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The case is part of Operation LeGend, a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings.

In total, officers seized $22,240 from Gregg’s residence, which has been forfeited to the government. Gregg’s vehicle was also searched and found to contain 151.6 grams of methamphetamine, 436.5 grams of marijuana, and 207 prescription pills.

Gregg stated he purchased methamphetamine for $12,000 per kilogram and sold it for about $13,000 per kilogram. He had several large-scale customers who purchased at least a half-kilogram of methamphetamine from him at a time, with one customer purchasing one or two kilograms of methamphetamine each week.

Gregg told officers he had the firearm because he had been threatened by individuals wanting to do him harm, and Gregg stated he had the firearm in case those individuals came to his residence to harm him. A loaded Smith and Wesson .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol was found on top of a fanny pack containing methamphetamine.

Gregg’s prior convictions also include conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, for which he served a 100-month sentence in federal prison. He has been sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole, as well as forfeiting $22,240 seized from his residence.

The exact date of Gregg’s arrest was September 11, 2020. He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking on April 8, 2021.

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