A Missouri man was indicted by a federal grand jury after he was arrested in St. Joseph, Mo., with methamphetamine and a firearm, then again in Kansas City, Mo., with approximately 2,300 fentanyl pills.
Walter Antwine Moore, 42, of Columbia, Mo., was charged in a four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. The indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Moore on Feb. 13, 2023. Moore has been detained in federal custody without bond since his arrest.
The indictment charges Moore with one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, law enforcement officers contacted Moore when he arrived at a train station in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 10, 2023. Moore became confrontational with the detective who questioned him, the affidavit says, and attempted to flee on foot. He was tackled by the detective and detained with the assistance of other detectives and tactical response officers. Officers found a bundle wrapped in clear cellophane on the floor close to where Moore was detained. The bundle, according to the affidavit, contained approximately 2,300 fentanyl pills.
Moore had also been detained by law enforcement officers in St. Joseph, Mo., on Jan. 7, 2023. According to the affidavit, St. Joseph police officers were dispatched to Speedy’s Convenience Store to investigate a report of a man who reportedly stole a bag of potato chips and was trying to sell drugs. Officers searched his vehicle and found a baggy that contained numerous clear plastic baggies with a total of 284.8 grams of methamphetamine. Officers also found a loaded Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun in the car.
Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Moore has two prior felony convictions for robbery, two prior felony convictions for forgery, and prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Missouri Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force (MoWIN), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Northwest Missouri Drug Task Force.
