A Denver, Colorado man was sentenced on April 15 to 20 years in federal prison without parole for trafficking fentanyl and illegally possessing firearms, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.
Jason S. Thompson, age 50, received his sentence from U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough after being found guilty by a jury on January 6 of possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute, possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of firearms.
Authorities said that officers with the Nixa Police Department encountered Thompson early on August 30, 2024 while he was camping in a minivan at a Walmart parking lot. After initially providing false identification and attempting to flee on foot, Thompson was apprehended by officers who then discovered he had an outstanding federal probation and parole warrant. A search led police to find cocaine, over $1,000 in cash on Thompson’s person, as well as nearly 140 grams of fentanyl pills and two loaded handguns inside his vehicle.
Court documents indicate that Thompson has prior felony convictions related to drug distribution and firearm offenses. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cameron A. Beaver and James J. Kelleher along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah R. Lucas; it was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Nixa Police Department, and Missouri State Highway Patrol.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative using resources from the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri supports community outreach programs addressing issues like violent crime and drug trafficking according to the official website. The office operates out of Kansas City, Jefferson City, and Springfield according to the official website, handling federal prosecutions across 66 counties stretching from Iowa’s border southward to Arkansas according to the official website. The jurisdiction also extends westward from Kansas’s border eastward halfway across Missouri according to the official website. Collaboration with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners is part of their mandate according to the official website.
