US Attorney Beth Phillips announced today 30 people were named in a federal indictment for conspiracy to distribute more than $1 million of methamphetamine in Northwest Missouri.

Many of those named are from St Joseph and Northwest Missouri.

The federal indictment alleges that all of the defendants participated in a conspiracy to distribute at least 15 kilograms of methamphetamine from Jan. 1, 2009, to March 14, 2012.

Multiple agencies assisted in the investigation including the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force, The Sheriff’s Departments of Buchanan, Holt and Nodaway Counties, St Joseph City Police , The Missouri Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Thirteen of the defendants are residents of St. Joseph, Mo.: Russell William Anderson, 50, Tamara Beth Angel, 33, Brandy Leighann Bennett, 33, Bradley Shawn Blacketer, 34, Chad Ryan Brant, 29, Brett Alan Devooght, 46, Audrey J. Lingle, 32, James Brian Sipes, 32, Deacon Tony Juanita Suritte, 36, Jonathan Michael Cornell, 31, Katie Nicole Sansone-Utterback, 24, Samantha Ann Worley, 20, and Caleb Loren Velvick, 29. This superseding indictment replaces an earlier indictment in which Blacketer was the sole defendant.

Twelve of the defendants are also residents of northwest Missouri: Brian Dean Keever, 41, Holly Lynn Nicholson, 41, and Rusty Ray Turner, 39, all of Skidmore, Mo.; Sabina Lea Corbin, 43, Diane Marie Cureton, 55, Jesse Jo Lee Stinnett, 31, and his brother, Joshua Dean Stinnett, 35, all of Maitland, Mo.; Michael Delmar McCalister, 45, Kenneth Joseph Wheeler, 40, and Robert S. Miller, 46, all of Craig, Mo.; Michelle Sue Hendrix, 42, of Country Club, Mo.; and Matthew Henry Grover, 38, of Mound City, Mo.

Also charged in the indictment are Steven Leroy Morris, 31, and Dustin Nathaniel Wertz, 35, both of Kansas City, Mo.; Shannon Renee Keyes, 19, of Gladstone, Mo.; Eleisha Leann Anderson, 36, of Kearney, Mo.; and Joshua Duane Dockweiler, 34, of Clarinda, Iowa.

The indictment also alleges that all of the defendants participated in a money-laundering conspiracy during that time by conducting financial transactions that involved the unlawful proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy. According to the indictment, the methamphetamine distributed during the conspiracy has a street price of at least $2,000 per ounce, for a total street value of $1,070,000.

 During the conspiracy, law enforcement officers conducted at least 10 controlled methamphetamine purchases with at least eight different defendants. During this time, at least 11 arrests or searches of defendants or co-conspirators occurred where methamphetamine was recovered.