KC Reporter

An Ozark, Missouri man and a Springfield, Missouri man have been sentenced in federal court for their involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.

Robert Jason Smith, 48, of Ozark, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole. Smith was sentenced as a career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.

In a related case, Aaron A. Keltner, 41, of Springfield, received a sentence on Thursday, September 26, of 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

Smith pleaded guilty on February 15, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted to selling 25.17 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on June 22, 2021. The following day, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop while Smith was driving a black GMC pickup truck. An officer searched the vehicle and found a small black backpack containing 217.98 grams of methamphetamine and $4,000 in cash on the rear floorboard behind the driver’s seat. Another backpack with hundreds of rounds of assorted ammunition was found in the bed of the truck.

Officers executed a search warrant at Smith’s residence on June 22, 2021. In the master bedroom, they discovered a Ziploc bag with 53.86 grams of methamphetamine and a Taurus .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol under the mattress.

Smith informed investigators that he purchased one pound of methamphetamine each week from a co-defendant working with Keltner for $5,000 and another pound every two or three weeks from another source.

Court documents indicate that Smith is responsible for distributing more than 12 kilograms of methamphetamine. He has thirteen prior felony convictions, six for selling drugs.

Smith is the first defendant sentenced in this case; two co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing while two others are scheduled for trial.

Keltner pleaded guilty on March 11, 2024, to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and being a felon in possession of firearms.

Court documents reveal that Keltner coordinated trips to acquire between fourteen and sixteen kilograms of methamphetamine from Oklahoma per trip using women as couriers. He would then divide up the drugs for redistribution.

Keltner admitted possession of an Anderson Manufacturing AR-15 style .223/5.56mm semi-automatic rifle, Savage Arms .223-caliber bolt-action rifle, and Marlin .22-caliber bolt-action rifle found during a search warrant execution at his residence.

Under federal law it is illegal for anyone convicted of a felony to possess any firearm or ammunition. Keltner has multiple prior felony convictions including distribution-related offenses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon prosecuted this case which was investigated by several agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Christian County Sheriff’s Department (Mo.), Springfield Police Department (Mo.), Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Greene County Sheriff’s Department (Mo.).

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at identifying disrupting dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening United States security through multi-agency collaboration led by prosecutors intelligence-driven approaches detailed information available at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF