KC Reporter

A man from Phoenix, Arizona has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy in southwest Missouri. Joseph A. Gilbert, aged 42, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, who also ordered him to forfeit $616,756 representing his drug trafficking proceeds.

Gilbert pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on November 19, 2024. He acknowledged his role supplying methamphetamine to a drug trafficking organization operating across Barry, Stone, Polk, Lawrence, Greene, Jasper, and Newton Counties from November 1, 2020, through April 28, 2022. More than 220 pounds of methamphetamine were distributed from Arizona into southwest Missouri during his involvement.

An incident on April 23, 2022, highlighted Gilbert's criminal activities. Missouri State Highway Patrol initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle Gilbert was driving, leading to a high-speed chase on Interstate 44 and Missouri Highway 43. Gilbert disregarded traffic signals and attempted to evade law enforcement. He was eventually apprehended in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, in possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl pills.

Gilbert is one among 18 defendants in the case who have entered guilty pleas, and the seventh to receive sentencing. The case involves a collaborative effort by multiple agencies, including the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI, among others.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, designed to dismantle high-level criminal organizations using a collaborative and intelligence-driven approach. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon is prosecuting the case.

Further details about the OCDETF program can be accessed at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.