A Columbia, Missouri, man who drew attention during a tense fentanyl bust at an Oklahoma casino is now headed to federal prison for 15 years.
Walter Antwine Moore, 44, was sentenced Wednesday (February 25) to 180 months behind bars by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays. Moore had already admitted guilt to several federal crimes, including possessing methamphetamine and fentanyl with the intent to distribute and carrying a firearm while dealing drugs.
What started as a gambling trip in December 2022 ended up unraveling a much larger case.
Columbia dealer faces trouble at blackjack table ahead of casino fentanyl raid
Federal prosecutors say Moore was playing blackjack at a casino in Quapaw, Oklahoma, when he lost more than $1,000. According to court records, he became angry with the dealer, began cursing and made vague threats. Witnesses said he appeared to reach into his coat, prompting casino staff to call security.
The pit boss contacted law enforcement, including deputies with the Quapaw Nation Marshals Service. When officers tried to conduct a routine pat-down, Moore refused. Authorities say he then attempted to push past a deputy and run from the casino floor.
He didn’t get far as deputies tackled him, and during the struggle, a bag he was holding tore open. Blue pills scattered across the floor.
Investigators recovered 913 pills stamped with an “M” on one side and “30” on the other. Lab testing later confirmed the pills contained fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid that has fueled a nationwide surge in overdose deaths.
The confrontation became a turning point in the federal case.
Moore was initially charged in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in connection with the pills seized at the casino. As part of a plea agreement, the prosecution was later transferred to the Western District of Missouri.
Authorities say the casino arrest was only one piece of a broader drug operation.
In February 2023, Moore was stopped at a train station in Kansas City, Missouri. Investigators say he was carrying a bundle containing roughly 2,300 fentanyl pills. Earlier that same month, officers in St. Joseph, Missouri, searched his vehicle and found methamphetamine along with a firearm.
A federal grand jury formally indicted Moore in March 2023 on drug trafficking and illegal firearm charges, according to a previous announcement from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The indictment outlined allegations that he possessed fentanyl and methamphetamine with intent to distribute and unlawfully carried a firearm in furtherance of that activity.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trey Alford and Adam McConney handled the prosecution. The investigation involved the DEA’s Missouri Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Quapaw Nation Marshals Service.
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The post Columbia dealer gets 15 years after casino fentanyl bust and charges appeared first on ReadWrite.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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