Meth Ring Busted: Hampton & Kennedy Face Decades

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Two Missouri men are staring down serious federal time after admitting their roles in a methamphetamine trafficking operation that stretched across four counties. Matthew Allen Hampton, 35, of Franklin, and Gregory Alan Kennedy, 53, of Boonville, both pleaded guilty today in federal court, bringing a key chapter in this case to a close.

Hampton confessed to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Boone, Cooper, Lafayette, and Jackson Counties between August 25, 2015, and January 11, 2016. The bust isn’t limited to these two, however. Co-defendants Douglas Marion Pryor, 54, of Columbia, and Joseph Nicko Winters have already copped pleas. Pryor’s sentencing is slated for May 24, 2017, while Winters, also admitting to distributing meth and possessing a firearm as a felon, faces the judge on May 16, 2017.

The initial break came on October 14, 2015, when Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers pulled Hampton over on I-70 in Lafayette County. A search of his vehicle revealed approximately two pounds of methamphetamine, along with marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a cool $3,353 in cash. Hampton immediately implicated Douglas Pryor, stating Pryor supplied the drugs during a meet-up at Harrah’s Casino in Kansas City, offering a $500 payment for the transport. Hampton admitted to working as a courier for Pryor for three to four months, moving roughly three to five pounds of meth during that period.

Law enforcement wasn’t finished with Hampton. On November 24, 2015, officers found him at the Isle of Capri Hotel/Casino in Boonville, Missouri, with even more product – methamphetamine stashed in his pants and coat pockets, totaling 93.1 grams. Again, Hampton pointed the finger at Pryor as the source. Meanwhile, a Cooper County sheriff’s deputy stopped Gregory Kennedy near Boonville on August 25, 2015, uncovering a pound of methamphetamine cleverly hidden in his vehicle’s dashboard. Kennedy, too, named Pryor as the man he was transporting the drugs for, claiming he was promised $700 to deliver what he *thought* was marijuana.

Federal sentencing guidelines aren’t playing around. Hampton faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison, potentially escalating to a life sentence without parole. Kennedy is looking at a minimum of five years, with a maximum of 40 years behind bars. These are the statutory maximums, of course; the actual sentences will be determined by the court considering advisory guidelines and other factors. Presentence investigations are underway by the United States Probation Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Miller is prosecuting the case, a collaborative effort between the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cooper County Sheriff’s Department, and the East Central Drug Task Force. This case serves as a stark reminder that moving serious quantities of drugs across state lines carries significant consequences. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case through sentencing and beyond.

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