⏱ 2 min read
A massive methamphetamine ring with ties to Mexico has been disrupted in Kansas City, Kansas, after federal and local law enforcement launched an investigation in 2022. Ernest Lucas, 53, of Kansas City, Kansas, has been sentenced to 300 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. The investigation began when Chaz Hicks, 27, sold methamphetamine to undercover officers multiple times, often with a firearm in his lap. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) tracked Hicks’ movements, leading them to Lucas’ house on Ruby Avenue.
ATF executed a search warrant at Lucas’ house and found 12 firearms, ammunition, over $11,000 in cash, and approximately 274 grams of methamphetamine. Another search warrant was executed at a house on Mersington Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, where investigators found approximately 102 pounds of methamphetamine, eight firearms, electronic scales, and other drug paraphernalia.
Evidence downloaded from Lucas’ cellphone showed drug-related conversations between him and Spencer Allen, 48, of Mound City, and Jason Smith, 50, of Topeka. The Department of Justice is committed to eradicating transnational criminal organizations and their influence on American soil.
The disruption of this methamphetamine ring is a significant blow to the flow of illicit drugs into Kansas City, Kansas. The federal government is uniquely suited to stop networks like this one and disrupt international supply lines into neighborhoods with the help of state and local partners.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Drug Trafficking
- Defendant: Kansas
- Location: KS
- Source: DOJ Press Release
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug TraffickingDrug Trafficking