Maurice A. Stewart, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Ohio 2016

Eight pounds of methamphetamine, loaded rifles, body armor, and three convicted felons with blood on their records — the Canton house raid on November 17, 2016, laid bare a dangerous criminal operation. Maurice A. Stewart, 42, William W. Moore, 38, and Jason E. Cousins, 47, are now behind bars after a federal crackdown tied them to an arsenal and a small mountain of drugs.

Stewart, already barred from owning firearms due to a prior involuntary manslaughter conviction, was sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of drug trafficking, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and being a felon in possession of firearms. Evidence presented in court directly linked him to the stash found during the raid — including an AR-15 rifle and nearly $11,000 in cash.

Moore, wanted on outstanding drug and firearms warrants from West Virginia, led U.S. Marshals straight to the Canton residence. Once there, agents seized two loaded handguns, a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun, cocaine, crack cocaine, and more. At sentencing, Moore received 63 months in prison. His record includes a prior murder conviction, making his possession of any weapon a federal felony.

Jason E. Cousins, 47, was sentenced to 73 months after being found guilty of a federal firearm offense. Despite not being the primary target of the raid, prosecutors proved he had control over and access to weapons recovered from the home. Cousins, previously convicted of cocaine possession and carrying a concealed weapon, was also legally prohibited from possessing any firearm.

The drugs seized — including nearly eight pounds of meth — signaled distribution-level operations, federal investigators said. Alongside the weapons and body armor, the cache painted a picture of a fortified drug cell prepared for violent confrontation. The $10,904 recovered in cash is believed to be proceeds from ongoing narcotics sales.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aaron P. Howell and Peter Daly. The investigation was led by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, with critical support from the Canton Police Department, FBI, and Drug Enforcement Administration. Authorities say the takedown disrupted a high-risk criminal network operating under the radar in Stark County.