A Columbia, Missouri man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and firearm offenses. Walter Antwine Moore, 44, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Greg Kays after pleading guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking activities.
Court documents show that on February 10, 2023, law enforcement encountered Moore at a train station in Kansas City, Missouri. When questioned by a detective, Moore became confrontational and tried to flee but was apprehended. Officers found a bundle near where he was detained containing about 2,300 fentanyl pills.
Earlier, on January 7, 2023, police in St. Joseph, Missouri responded to reports of someone stealing chips and attempting to sell drugs at a convenience store. A search of Moore’s vehicle uncovered multiple baggies holding approximately 284.8 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded Glock .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun.
Another incident occurred on December 6, 2022 at a casino in Quapaw, Oklahoma. After losing money at blackjack and becoming belligerent with staff, Moore refused a pat-down requested by marshals for safety reasons and tried to run when confronted. During the scuffle that followed, authorities recovered 913 blue pills later confirmed as fentanyl.
“This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam McConney,” according to the press release. “It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Missouri Interdiction and Narcotics Task Force (MoWIN), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Northwest Missouri Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration in Oklahoma, and the Quapaw Nation Marshals Service.”
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative aimed at countering illegal immigration and eliminating transnational criminal organizations.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri oversees federal prosecutions across western Missouri’s 66 counties—from the Iowa border south to Arkansas—with offices located in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield (official website). The office works closely with federal agencies as well as state, local and tribal law enforcement partners (official website). It also manages outreach programs focused on violent crime prevention (official website).
This case originated with charges filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma before being transferred under plea agreement.
