Atchison man sentenced for trafficking meth with Satan’s Disciples gang

An Atchison, Kan., man was sentenced to nine years in prison for trafficking meth he bought from members of a multi-state street gang called the Satan’s Disciples, according to federal prosecutors.

Thirty-year-old Earnest Preston Crawford, III, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute after admitting undercover investigators had arranged to buy drugs from him at his Atchison home in the 600 block of North Tenth Street.

Investigators say Crawford regularly sold pounds of meth for prices ranging between $6,000 to $9,000.

Federal prosecutors say he bought the drugs from a supplier in the Satan’s Disciples, a gang reportedly founded in Chicago more than 25 years ago and now operating in more than 20 states.

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 9:48 PM.