Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Carl Junction man has been sentenced in federal court for methamphetamine trafficking and illegally possessing a firearm.

Chet Edwin Mercer, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool on Feb. 29, to 12 years in federal prison without parole.

On Oct. 12, 2023, Mercer pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Mercer admitted that he was in possession of methamphetamine and a Springfield Armory 9mm firearm on Nov. 30, 2021.

According to Mercer’s plea agreement, law enforcement officers utilized a confidential source to conduct a controlled purchase of 106 grams of methamphetamine from Mercer on Nov. 19, 2021, at Mercer’s home in Carl Junction. On Nov. 30, 2021, officers executed a search warrant at Mercer’s residence. Officers searched the two-bay garage on the property and discovered a camper inside. Officers found a plastic baggie inside the camper that contained 363 grams of methamphetamine with a purity of 97 percent. Mercer admitted that he possessed the methamphetamine with the intent to distribute some or all of it.

While searching the bedroom of the camper, officers found the Springfield Armory 9mm firearm on the bed. Officers also found drug trafficking paraphernalia inside the camper, where Mercer apparently was living.

According to court documents, Mercer distributed a total of at least 10 kilograms of methamphetamine. Mercer admitted he traveled to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to pick up multiple pounds of methamphetamine. He had been engaging in this type of criminal behavior since 2013, when he began utilizing his dump truck business to meet with men who would load one or two duffle bags into his truck.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team.

Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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