KC Reporter

Two men from Springfield, Missouri, have been sentenced in federal court for their involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. Erik C. Foster, 43, received a sentence of 215 months in federal prison without parole, followed by five years of supervised release. Tilton Chase Tate, 41, was sentenced to 146 months in federal prison without parole and will also serve five years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes handed down both sentences.

Foster and Tate were charged alongside others in a 24-count superseding indictment on July 25, 2023. The charges stemmed from a drug conspiracy that spanned from December 2020 to October 2022.

Foster admitted to purchasing and delivering methamphetamine for distribution across Southwest Missouri. Law enforcement seized over 50 grams of methamphetamine during the investigation. On September 10, 2022, officers found at least 844 grams of methamphetamine hidden inside a speaker during a traffic stop where Foster was a passenger. He confessed to transporting the drugs from Joplin to Springfield for further distribution.

On October 12, 2022, Greene County deputies seized black tar heroin-like substances, along with a backpack containing 70 grams of methamphetamine and over $11,960 in cash from Foster during another traffic stop. Foster admitted to making multiple trips to deliver methamphetamine.

Tate confessed to possessing and distributing methamphetamine as part of the conspiracy. During an October 19, 2021 traffic stop, police seized over 440 grams of methamphetamine from him. In April the following year, while executing a search warrant at his residence, officers discovered two handguns along with pills and suspected methamphetamine.

In an interview later that month, Tate admitted he purchased the drugs seized during the October traffic stop from a co-conspirator and estimated selling about one pound of meth weekly.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie L. Wan is prosecuting this case which was investigated by several agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Greene County Sheriff's Office; Missouri State Highway Patrol; Republic Police Department; and Springfield Police Department.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through coordinated efforts among various agencies.