A Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to distribute kilogram-quantities of heroin in the Springfield, Mo., area.
Alphonso L. Battle, 55, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to participating in a conspiracy to distribute heroin from Sept. 1, 2012, to April 3, 2017.
Battle admitted that he traveled from St. Louis to Springfield on April 6, 2016, to deliver heroin to co-defendant Roosevelt Simpson, 65, of Springfield. Law enforcement officers were conducting surveillance at Simpson’s residence at about 10 p.m. when Battle arrived and backed into Simpson’s driveway. Battle walked to the front door of Simpson’s residence, then returned to his vehicle and retrieved an item from the trunk. As federal agents approached to arrest him, Battle fled on foot through the backyard of Simpson’s neighbor.
Battle was found a few hours later near the intersection of Kearney Street and Golden Avenue in Springfield, where he was arrested. Simpson’s neighbor called the Springfield Police Department the next day to report that he found a canister with a false bottom in his backyard. A Springfield Police Department detective retrieved the canister, which contained approximately 63 grams of heroin and 72 capsules of Dormin (a common cutting agent).
Simpson was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Battle is the eighth and final defendant, in this case, to plead guilty. Seven co-defendants have pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
Under federal statutes, Battle is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, and up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
