Press Release
☷Jury Convicts KC Man of Heroin Conspiracy Illegal Firearms
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ( By Press Release office)
Mar 24,2024
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A guy from Kansas City got convicted in federal court today for being involved in a scheme to sell heroin and for having guns illegally . Edgar A . Mejia , who is 49 years old , was found guilty by a jury of conspiring to distribute heroin and having firearms to help with drug trafficking . On October 10 , 2022 , law enforcement officers searched Mejia ' s 2000 Coachman RV while he was already in custody in Oklahoma for drug trafficking . The Oklahoma investigators had received a tip that Mejia had more drugs and guns hidden in his RV and they let the local authorities know . The officers found Mejia ' s RV parked next to an empty house on Drury Avenue in Kansas City and searched it . They discovered 541 grams of heroin , a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semi - automatic handgun , an American Tactical AR - 15 - style rifle , and ammunition hidden behind a wall in the kitchen . After presenting the evidence , the jury in the U . S . District Court in Kansas City deliberated for about three and a half hours before finding Mejia guilty . He had previously admitted to possessing the heroin with the intent to sell it and to having the firearms as a felon . According to federal law , it ' s illegal for someone with a felony conviction to have a gun or ammunition . Mejia has been convicted before for drug distribution and for having a gun as a felon at both the state and federal levels . Under federal law , Mejia faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole , with the maximum being life in prison without parole . The court will determine the actual sentence based on advisory guidelines and other factors after a presentence investigation by the U . S . Probation Office . This case is being handled by Assistant U . S . Attorneys Ashleigh A . Ragner and Robert M . Smith and Special Assistant U . S . Attorney Jessica L . Jennings . It was investigated by various law enforcement agencies , including the Jackson County Drug Task Force , the District Attorney’s Task Force for the 13th Judicial District in Oklahoma , the Wyandotte Nation Tribal Police Department , the Kansas City Police Department , and the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms , and Explosives ( ATF ) . This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods ( PSN ) , a program that brings together law enforcement at all levels and the communities they serve to make our neighborhoods safer by reducing violent crime and gun violence . The Department of Justice launched a strategy on May 26 , 2021 , to strengthen PSN by focusing on building trust in communities , supporting organizations that prevent violence , and prioritizing strategic enforcement to measure results .
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