SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A federal court has sentenced an Ozark man and a Springfield co-conspirator in connection to a methamphetamine distribution operation.

On Monday, Sept. 30, 48-year-old Robert Jason Smith of Ozark was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison without parole. He was sentenced as a career criminal because of his 13 previous felony convictions, six of which were for selling drugs. Court documents state he is responsible for distributing more than 12 kilograms of methamphetamine.

The federal court also sentenced 41-year-old Aaron A. Keltner of Springfield to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole in a related case on Thursday, Sept. 26. He was previously convicted in relation to the distribution, delivery and manufacture of a controlled substance.

Smith pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted to selling 25.17 grams of methamphetamine to an informant in 2021.

The day after he sold the meth, Smith was stopped by law enforcement in a black GMC pickup truck. Officers found two backpacks in the truck that contained almost 218 grams of methamphetamine, several rounds of ammunition and $4,000. Law enforcement also searched Smith's residence that day and found nearly 54 grams of methamphetamine and a pistol.

Smith told investigators that he would pay $5,000 for one pound of meth each week from a co-defendant working with Keltner and a separate pound of meth every two to three weeks from a different supplier.

Smith is the first defendant to be sentenced in this case. Two co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing, while two other co-defendants are scheduled to go to trial.

Keltner pleaded guilty in March on separate charges for his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Court documents state that he would obtain 14 to 16 kilograms of methamphetamine from Oklahoma per trip and redistribute it.

News Source : https://www.ozarksfirst.com/news/two-southwest-missouri-men-sentenced-in-meth-conspiracy/