MISSOURI — A man from Bakersfield, California was sentenced in federal court today for leading a drug trafficking operation across Missouri and Oklahoma.
According to the U.S. District Court, 48-year-old William D. Johnson was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison without parole.
Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in February 2022.
A release from the U.S. District Court states that Johnson had distributed the drugs from May 2019 to January 2021 in Newton, Laclede, Lawrence and Greene counties.
Johnson was stopped by a Joplin, Missouri police officer in June 2019. Officers discovered 90.63 grams of meth and just over $16,000 in cash during that stop.
His vehicle was searched again in May 2020, this time by Lebanon, Missouri police officers. Johnson was in possession of a 9 mm pistol, a stolen .380 firearm, 180 grams of meth and just over $33,000 in cash.
At the time of Johnson’s arrest in January 2021, he had a smoking device with meth residue, two cell phones and just over $11,000 in cash in his possession.
Court documents state that law enforcement also found a storage unit belonging to Johnson that contained 231 pounds of meth, two rifles and nearly $500,000 in cash.
Johnson also maintained two residences and officers seized more drugs, three handguns and over $40,000 in cash from those properties.
Johnson is the fourth and final defendant to be sentenced in this case. His three co-defendants have been sentenced as follows:
- Douglas S. Ward, 35, of Lebanon was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole.
- Rita M. Glasgow, 33, of Joplin was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
- Joshua T. Davenport, 42, of Miami, Oklahoma was sentenced to five years and nine months in federal prison without parole.
