SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Springfield, Missouri, man received 32 and a half years in federal prison without parole Wednesday for his role in a drug-trafficking conspiracy involving 19 defendants and over $1.8 million worth of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Dontrell A. Powell, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 32 and a half years in federal prison without parole for one count each of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Powell pleaded guilty on Jan. 21, 2025.
According to court documents, an investigation into the drug-trafficking organization began on Jan. 17, 2024, when a Trooper with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol searched a vehicle on a car hauler at a truck stop in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Trooper found approximately 100 pounds of methamphetamine and two pounds of fentanyl pills hidden in a subwoofer speaker box in the cargo area of a Dodge Magnum. The approximate street value of the drugs was $1,850,000.
Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration removed the fentanyl pills from the Dodge Magnum and replaced most of the methamphetamine with sham methamphetamine before conducting a controlled delivery of the vehicle the next morning.
On Jan. 18, 2024, Dontrell Powell and his brother, Dreshawn Powell, 28, also of Springfield, Missouri, arrived at the parking lot in a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE, which was registered to Dontrell. Dontrell Powell signed for the Dodge Magnum, which had been shipped from California to Missouri under a false name, and drove it out of the parking lot. Agents followed the Powell brothers and two codefendants to Dontrell Powell’s residence, where they were all arrested.
When agents searched Dontrell Powell’s residence they found an Anderson Manufacturing multi-caliber, semi-automatic pistol, two Glock carrying cases, three high-capacity Glock magazines, including a drum-style magazine loaded with 40 rounds of ammunition, several types of ammunition and approximately $140,000. Agents also located four more large subwoofer boxes at the residence and a loaded Glock, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol in the glove box of Dontrell Powell’s Mercedes.
Dontrell Powell is the second defendant to be sentenced in this case. His brother, Dreshawn Powell, was sentenced on July 21 to 190 months in federal prison, just over 15 years, without parole for one count of aiding and abetting the attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
There are 17 other defendants in the case, including Parsons residents or former Parsons residents. The other defendants are: Juston D. Crane, Osric R. Edwards, Necole Jennings, DaRon C. Kelly, Mark M. Logan, Stevie D. Logan Jr., William E. McKinzie, Shawn E. Morris, Willie Murry Jr., Christuffer A. Roeder, James R. Sharp, Jon K. Smith, Kylei P. Sullivan, Rikkita C. Tolbert, William E. Troester Jr., Gary J. Watkins Jr. and Damion Williams. Parsons residents or former residents include Edwards, Kelly, Jennings, the Logans, Murry, Roeder, Sullivan, Morris, Tolbert and Williams.
Williams pleaded in August to one count of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of meth and 400 grams or more of fentanyl. He could face a minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life. A sentencing date has not been set.
In his guilty plea, Williams admitted that between Jan. 1, 2022, and April 20, 2024, he conspired with others to distribute the drugs. During that time, Dontrell Powell and Stevie Logan worked together in a drug trafficking organization to obtain meth and fentanyl in California for distribution in Missouri and Kansas.
During the investigation, agents found that DaRon Kelly helped Stevie Logan with distribution and was funneling his drug proceeds through other co-conspirators’ Cash App accounts and various casinos in the tri-state area. Williams obtained drugs for distribution directly from Kelly and allowed Kelly to use his Cash App account to send and receive drug proceeds, according to the plea agreement. Law enforcement arrested Williams on Nov. 23, 2023, in Parsons during a traffic stop. A search of his car turned up 28 fentanyl pills inside a cellophane wrapping.
On April 20, 2024, DEA agents intercepted a call from Stevie Logan to William McKinzie during which Logan set up a meth transaction. Logan then called DaRon Kelly several times. During these calls, agents learned that Kelly and Williams had traveled to Necole Jennings’ home in Parsons to pick up meth and that they were on their way to Pittsburg to get Stevie Logan, according to the plea. Kelly and Williams picked up Logan at the Conoco station at U.S. 400 and U.S. 160 south of Pittsburg and traveled to the Economy Inn and Suites in Joplin. After McKinzie walked out of a room and met the trio in the white 2005 Tahoe, agents swarmed in to arrest the four.
A search of the vehicle turned up a large tub in the back seat containing about 4.5 kilograms (nearly 10 pounds) of meth, the plea agreement said. A search of Kelly’s phone after the arrest revealed a number of calls between him and Williams to discuss drug distribution and payment from drug transactions using Cash App, the plea said.
Cases against Murry, Mark Logan, Stevie Logan Jr., DaRon Kelly, William McKinzie, Necole Jennings, Osric Edwards, Christuffer Roeder and Shawn Morris are scheduled for trial on March 16, 2026, in Springfield.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Parsons Police Department, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team and the Labette County Sheriff’s Office.
