KC Reporter

A man from Springfield, Missouri, Delante Leon Worsham, was given a 30-year federal prison sentence for leading a large drug-trafficking operation in southwest Missouri. This operation has been linked to at least two overdose deaths. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark.

Worsham had previously pled guilty on January 29, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, engaging in this illegal activity across Christian and Greene counties from September 23, 2018, to November 14, 2019. Key incidents in this case include a traffic stop in Springfield on September 23, 2018, where officers found 21.50 grams of fentanyl in his vehicle. On November 15, 2019, he was arrested with $2,390 in cash and multiple bags of fentanyl totaling 30 grams. Worsham admitted that these drugs were meant for distribution.

The court documents mentioned that Missouri had a significantly high rate of drug overdose deaths in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control, stating it as one of few states west of the Mississippi River with such high statistics. A study by Families Against Fentanyl further highlighted that fentanyl overdoses are a leading cause of death for adults aged 18 to 45 in the U.S.

Worsham is one of 14 defendants who pleaded guilty in this case, and he is the eleventh to be sentenced. Prosecutors handling this case are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. Eatmon and Cameron A. Beaver. Several agencies contributed to the investigation, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Springfield Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Bourbon Police Department, and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department.

This operation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative, which focuses on dismantling high-level criminal organizations through a collaborative and intelligence-driven approach.