Jefferson City Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A Jefferson City man was sentenced in federal court today for drug trafficking and illegally possessing a firearm.

Mark Allan Moots, 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

On April 19, 2022, Moots 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.

Jefferson City police officers executed a search warrant at Moots’s residence on June 26, 2020. Moots, who was arrested, was found attempting to hide in a bathroom shower. Officers found a loaded .410 Mossberg shotgun and .8 grams of methamphetamine in the dining room. Officers also found a backpack in the living room that contained 177 grams of pure methamphetamine and a loaded Ruger .380-caliber handgun. Officers found 2.4 grams of methamphetamine in the pocket of a pair of shorts in the laundry room and approximately 576 grams of packaged marijuana in the bedroom.

According to court documents, Moots has an extensive criminal history that includes numerous felony drug convictions and a conviction for a firearm offense.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the Jefferson City, Mo., Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.