Kansas City man pleads guilty to fentanyl trafficking, federal gun crimes
Two months after he was arrested in connection with a homicide investigation in Kansas City’s Westport, a 19-year-old admitted in federal court Wednesday to trafficking fentanyl and illegally possessing more than a dozen guns.
Ban N. To, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty in the Western District of Missouri to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, carrying firearms to further drug trafficking and possession of a machine gun — all felonies. He was ordered to remain in federal custody until his sentencing hearing.
Prosecutors say the charges stem from a vehicle stop on April 15 by Kansas City police. An SUV owned by To was seen leaving the scene of a shooting in Westport near 40th and Washington streets where a 20-year-old man, Malik Akins, was shot dead.
To was not charged with a crime related to the fatal shooting, according to court records.
Surveillance video from the area showed two men exchange gunfire with Akins before running back to a Toyota Highlander. Court documents filed in Jackson County in late April say the surveillance cameras caught images of the license plate, and a stop order was issued for the SUV.
Prosecutors say a search of To’s vehicle yielded four firearms, two of which were reported stolen, and 75 pills that contained fentanyl.
Days later, while To was being held in Jackson County jail, prosecutors said he made a phone call to his girlfriend asking her to get some bags out of a storage locker. Police went to the locker and seized nine other firearms, including two Glock pistols fitted with a converter switch to make them fully automatic.
Under federal law, To faces a minimum of five years in prison without the possibility of parole. A sentencing hearing had not been set as of Wednesday.
This story was originally published June 21, 2023 at 8:28 PM.
