12 Defendants from 4 States Charged in Federal Methamphetamine Conspiracy

Owensboro, KY – A federal grand jury in Bowling Green, Kentucky, returned a two-count indictment on February 15, 2023, charging twelve defendants with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Shane Catone of the DEA Chicago Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Jerry C. Templet, Jr.  of the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Chief Art Ealum of the Owensboro Police Department, and Sheriff Brad Youngman of the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.

According to the indictment, the following 12 defendants were each charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine between July 2022 and February 14, 2023:

Chance Morton, 34, of Owensboro, Kentucky;

Nicholas Stallings, 38, of Forest Park, Georgia;

George James, 52, of Hawesville, Kentucky;

Desmond Morton, 38 of Owensboro, Kentucky;

Morgan Anderson, 36, of Owensboro, Kentucky;

William Simmons, 49, of Owensboro, Kentucky;

Johnny Albury, 55, of Owensboro, Kentucky;

Charles Hudson, 44, of Vero Beach, Florida;

Ellis Parker, 64, of Owensboro, Kentucky;

Willie Mosley, 55, of Hagerstown, Maryland;

Brian Ray, 36, of Philpot, Kentucky; and

Lindsay R. Harper, 39, of Hawesville, Kentucky.

The defendants are in custody and scheduled to make their initial court appearances before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky tomorrow. If convicted, all defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. There is no parole in the federal system.

The DEA, FBI, HSI, Owensboro Police Department, Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, and the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Owensboro-Daviess County Drug Task Force are investigating the case, with the assistance of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Kentucky State Police DESI-West, the Indian River County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, the Indiana State Police, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Secret Service, and the ATF.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Dahl and Mark Yurchisin are prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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 www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

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