Multi-jurisdictional meth bust nets 20
February 3, 2010 -- Attorney General Steve Six, along with representatives of thirteen law enforcement agencies, announced today the results of a large anti-meth operation conducted over the past eight months which culminated yesterday with officers executing 10 search warrants and filing charges against 20 people.
The search warrants were executed at locations in the cities of Chanute, Iola, Stark, Paola, and Fort Scott.
“Meth ruins lives, destroys families and makes our communities less safe,” Six said. “Law enforcement put their lives in danger every day to stop meth manufacturing and track down drug trafficking and sales organizations.”
Prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office charged 20 people with manufacturing methamphetamine, possession of the materials to make meth, possession of meth, conspiracy to distribute meth and other crimes. seventeen of those individuals were arrested yesterday.
Law enforcement believes that these individuals were obtaining large quantities of ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, using it to cook meth and selling that meth in Kansas communities.
The seventeen individuals arrested yesterday were:
Travis Eugene Booe (DOB: 03-31-1982), hometown unknown, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), two counts Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative two counts Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Frank Lynn Miller (DOB: 10-18-1975), of Fort Scott, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, six counts Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative six counts Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $100,000.
Darin Russell Lansdown (DOB: 05-18-1974), of Iola, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count Conspiracy to Possess Methamphetamine, one count Distribution of Methamphetamine, three count Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative three count Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance, two count Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Possession of Methamphetamine or in the alternative two count Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Possess Methamphetamine. Bond was set at $50,000.
Gary Eugene Green (DOB: 05-03-1975), of Paola, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), eight counts Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative eight Counts Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Ryan Terrance Galt (DOB: 09-12-1975), of Chanute, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine) and one count Possession of Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine. Bond was set at $50,000.
Danny Lee Gallagher (DOB: 12-28-1965), hometown unknown, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), four counts Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative four counts Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Melanie Laree Bruneau (DOB: 03-11-1956), of Stark, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Bond was set at $20,000.
Bonnie Michelle Padilla (DOB: 3-02-1984), of Chanute, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count Conspiracy to Possess Methamphetamine, one count Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, one count Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative one count Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance, four count Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Possession of Methamphetamine or in the alternative four count Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Possess Methamphetamine. Bond was set at $50,000.
Karl D. Ahrens (DOB: 3-08-1969), of Chanute, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Bond was set at $20,000.
Gary W. Bever (DOB: 04-05-1954) of Chanute, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count Possession of Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine, two counts Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative two counts Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Sheila Lynn Bohrer (DOB: 04-02-1975), of Chanute, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count Possession of Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine, one count Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative one count Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Brandi Nicole Brown (DOB: 10-14-1076), of Stark, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Bond was set at $20,000.
Charles Elmer Bruce, Jr. (DOB: 12-07-1983), of Iola, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine) and one count Possession of Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine. Bond was set at $50,000.
Deborah Donnelly (DOB: 03-05-1964), of Thayer, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine) and one count Possession of Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine. Bond was set at $50,000.
Jessica Danielle Miller (DOB: 01-10-1978), of Chanute, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), three counts Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative three counts Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
Barbara S. Hutson (DOB: 03-08-1963), of Buffalo, was charged with one count Conspiracy to Manufacture a Controlled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count Possession of Ephedrine, Pseudoephedrine, one count Use of a Communication Facility to Facilitate the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance or in the alternative one count Use of a Communication in a Conspiracy to Commit the Manufacture of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $50,000.
One additional man was arrested on probable cause and charges are pending. Charges against Duane Eugene Lansdown and Justin Chad Seabolt last week were also part of this anti-meth operation. Additional arrests and charges are expected.
For more than a decade, the Southeast Kansas Drug Taskforce has been working together to crack down on illegal drugs and the crimes that often are associated with the drug trade.
In recent years, law enforcement has stepped up efforts to fight meth. This past year, Attorney General Steve Six announced the Kansas Meth Initiative which provided $1 million additional funding for prosecutors to support the taskforce and training for law enforcement officers on the ground. With the money obtained through the Kansas Meth Initiative, the Attorney General’s Office has been able to assign two full time drug prosecutors to the Southeast Kansas Drug Taskforce. This ensures that the crimes that the taskforce uncovers will be charged and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“This large meth bust, which started with good police work and was executed because law enforcement agencies worked together, is a perfect example of how beneficial programs like the Kansas Meth Initiative and the Southeast Kansas Drug Taskforce can be to the safety and health of our communities,” Six said. “It also demonstrates what great work law enforcement officers can do when given the resources they need to fight crime.”
These are only allegations and these individuals should be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.