‘Armed and dangerous’: 27 arrested in Kansas City drug trafficking investigation
More than two dozen people have been arrested as they face charges of allegedly participating in a large-scale drug-trafficking organization responsible for a number of acts of gun violence in Kansas City, according to a newly unsealed federal indictment.
Twenty-six defendants face a range of felony charges that include conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl, illegal firearm possession, use of a firearm during a violent crime and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Prosecutors allege members of the group carried out several shootings in different areas of the city as part of the drug trade.
The indictment was issued March 1 in the Western District of Missouri following the close of grand jury proceedings. It was unsealed as 25 defendants were placed under arrest by Wednesday during a large-scale law enforcement operation involving roughly 200 officers from local and federal agencies. Two other defendants, one of whom has been arrested, are charged in related cases that are also pending in court.
“This operation removed a large number of armed and dangerous drug dealers from the streets of our community,” U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore said in a statement. “After a nearly year-long investigation, our law enforcement partners worked together to take down a significant drug-trafficking organization and reduce the threat of violent crime in our neighborhoods.”
Charging documents indicate the conspiracy took place over the course of three years, beginning around January 28, 2019. Prosecutors said Thursday that the main supplier of the operation is Kevin C. Cokes, 60, who is charged with conspiracy to distribute drugs, using telephones to coordinate drug trafficking and a conspiracy to possess firearms.
Prosecutors have cited examples of shootings, including one where three people were wounded, in a motion seeking for defendants to be held in detention without bond.
The triple shooting occurred on April 17, 2021, in Kansas City’s Westport entertainment district. All three victims suffered injuries that were not life-threatening after they were shot by two men, including one of the defendants, who reported seeing them carry an AK-style weapon, court records state.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in coordination with the Drug Enforcement Agency alongside other area law enforcement, including the Kansas City and Independence police departments.
In a statement, ATF Special Agent in Charge Frederic Winston said the operation sent a clear message to those using firearms to sell drugs and who are “terrorizing our neighborhoods.”
“Law enforcement is working together at every level, to hold you accountable for the crimes you commit and the havoc you have brought to our community,” Winston said.
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 7:51 AM.
