Kansas City, Missouri – A man from Kansas City was handed a 16-year federal prison sentence for his involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking ring that operated within the city. Keith A. Clevenger, aged 51, received his sentence from U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips, with no chance for parole.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Clevenger had previously entered a guilty plea on July 25, 2023, acknowledging his part in a conspiracy to possess and distribute methamphetamine. He confessed to buying about 1.2 kilograms of the drug from another person involved in the scheme.
The arrest occurred when Clevenger tried to escape on foot from the police during a traffic stop at Truman and Home Road on November 28, 2020. As the police detained him and conducted a search, they discovered a bag containing 25.7 grams of pure methamphetamine and a Glock .40-caliber pistol in his car.
Another person involved, Nicholas A. Taylor, aged 41 from Kansas City, Missouri, received a 19-year sentence in federal prison without the possibility of parole on April 25, 2023. Taylor confessed to his involvement in the drug trafficking operation. He traveled to California in June 2020, where he bought no less than 52 pounds (around 23.6 kilograms) of methamphetamine. This quantity was then transported back to Kansas City and distributed among several of his co-defendants.
The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Barnes. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.
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This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf.
