Three Missouri men have pleaded guilty in federal court to their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Kenneth James Paulson, 51, of Blue Springs, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Wednesday, Nov. 16, to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Aug. 11 to Oct. 14, 2020. Co-defendants Louis Melvin Williamson, 51, and Kurt Thomas Kingsley, 40, both of Independence, Mo., have also pleaded guilty to their roles in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Kingsley also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Paulson admitted that he purchased methamphetamine from Kingsley and sold bulk quantities to lower-level dealers. Williams and Kingsley have admitted that Williams sold bulk quantities of methamphetamine to other dealers, including Kingsley, who in turn sold to Paulson.
Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, through undercover agents and confidential informants, made controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Paulson at his home and at a movie theater parking lot in Grain Valley, Mo. On Oct. 13, 2020, DEA agents stopped Paulson’s car in Blue Springs while he was on his way to another undercover controlled purchase. Agents found 145 grams of 99 percent pure methamphetamine in his car. Agents also searched his residence and found 226 grams of 99 percent pure methamphetamine in his garage. Agents also found a Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic handgun and a Smith & Wesson .38-caliber revolver in his garage.
On Oct. 14, 2020, Kingsley arrived at Paulson’s residence for an arranged drug sale. DEA agents found a black backpack on the passenger’s seat of Kingsley’s Ford F-150 that contained 46.7 grams of pure methamphetamine.
Under federal statutes, Paulson, Kingsley, and Williams each are subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Gibson, who is a cross-designated prosecutor from the Missouri Attorney General’s office as part of the Safer Streets Initiative to combat violent crime. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
