Jerry Wheeler, Fentanyl Conspiracy & Firearm Charges, Missouri 2023

Jerry Wheeler, Fentanyl Conspiracy & Firearm Charges, Missouri 2023

In a shocking turn of events, Jerry Wheeler, a 48-year-old man from Springfield, Missouri, has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of fentanyl and for illegally possessing firearms.

Wheeler, also known as “Love,” pleaded guilty on December 15, 2022, to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. The conspiracy took place from September 23, 2018, to November 14, 2019, in Christian and Greene counties.

According to court documents, Wheeler was a supplier of fentanyl to multiple other distributors in Springfield. He was found to be in possession of a Sig Sauer .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, an Izhmash .308-caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a Hi-Point 9mm semi-automatic pistol in furtherance of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

Law enforcement officers stopped co-defendant Sheron Loggins, also known as “Bane,” while he was driving on Interstate 44 toward Springfield on September 8, 2019. Loggins was transporting approximately 496 grams of fentanyl, which represents over 4,000 potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. Wheeler admitted that he was the intended recipient of that fentanyl and that he intended to distribute the fentanyl in Springfield.

On November 14, 2019, federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Wheeler’s residence. Officers found the loaded Sig Sauer pistol on top of a cabinet in the kitchen. Agents found the loaded Hi-Point pistol in a nightstand drawer in one bedroom and the Izhmash rifle underneath a mattress in another bedroom. Agents also found a small amount of cocaine and fentanyl, as well as drug paraphernalia.

Wheeler’s sentencing comes as Missouri struggles with a growing opioid epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Missouri was one of only nine states west of the Mississippi River with an age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths of more than 21.1 per 100,000 in 2020. In 2022, 1,577 Missourians fatally overdosed on opioids, which means that one in every 45 deaths in Missouri can be attributed to an opioid overdose.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Byron H. Black. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department; the Greene County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department; the Phelps County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Department; the Bourbon, Missouri, Police Department; and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

This case is part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/springfield-man-sentenced-35-years-fentanyl-conspiracy-illegal-firearms