Paris B. Young, Drug Trafficking, Missouri 2020

Drug Kingpin Sentenced to 20 Years for Trafficking and Gun Possession

A Kansas City man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation and for illegally possessing a firearm.

Paris B. Young, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Young was found guilty at trial of possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

The charges against Young stem from a traffic stop that occurred on June 16, 2018, at the intersection of 41st and Garfield Avenue in Kansas City. During the stop, police officers discovered a Taurus .45-caliber revolver, with an obliterated serial number, underneath the driver's seat. The revolver was loaded with three .45-caliber Colt rounds of ammunition and two 410 shotgun shells in the cylinder.

Additionally, officers found a large plastic bag that contained 46 individually wrapped bags of crack cocaine, with a total weight of 12.49 grams, and 4.38 grams of marijuana in the center console of the vehicle.

Young has prior felony convictions for murder, armed criminal action, possessing a controlled substance, and two prior felony convictions for distributing a controlled substance. Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Q. McCarther and Sean T. Foley. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

Young's sentence is a result of the U.S. Attorney's Office's effort to specifically identify and prosecute violent offenders in the Western District of Missouri. The office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer, is a centerpiece of this effort. The program focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The defendant's name is Paris B. Young. He was found guilty of possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. The city and state are Kansas City, Missouri. The exact date of the crime was February 12, 2020. Young was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole.

The case is a result of the U.S. Attorney's Office's effort to specifically identify and prosecute violent offenders in the Western District of Missouri.

Defendant: Paris B. Young

Criminal Charges: Possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number

City and State: Kansas City, Missouri

Exact Date: February 12, 2020

Sentence: 20 years in federal prison without parole

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/kc-man-sentenced-20-years-drug-trafficking-illegal-firearm-0