A Springfield man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of the drug fentanyl and for illegally having guns.
Jerry Wheeler, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 35 years in federal prison without parole.
Wheeler pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, Wheeler was the intended recipient of nearly 500 grams of fentanyl — which represents more than 4,000 potentially lethal doses — that Wheeler admitted he intended to sell in Springfield.
Wheeler admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl in Christian and Greene counties from Sept. 23, 2018, to Nov. 14, 2019. Wheeler was a supplier of fentanyl to a number of dealers in Springfield. Wheeler also admitted that he was in possession of a Sig Sauer .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol, an Izmash .308-caliber semi-automatic rifle, and a Hi-Point 9mm semi-automatic pistol he carried while trafficking drugs.
According to court documents, Wheeler was responsible for “multi-kilogram fentanyl distribution.” The fentanyl was often sold as heroin.
Law enforcement officers stopped co-defendant Sheron Loggins, 50, of Florissant, Missouri, while he was driving on Interstate 44 toward Springfield on Sept. 8, 2019. Loggins was transporting approximately 496 grams of fentanyl when he was stopped.
On Nov. 14, 2019, federal agents executed a search warrant at Wheeler’s residence and found the guns, a small amount of cocaine and fentanyl, as well as drug paraphernalia.
Wheeler is the second of 14 defendants to be sentenced in this case. Marquise D. Martin, 33, of Springfield, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison without parole. Loggins has pleaded guilty to participating in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and awaits sentencing.
