An Arizona man has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking operation that brought large quantities of fentanyl into Kansas. Rafael Turner, 35, of Phoenix and formerly of Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Court documents show that Turner participated in the distribution scheme from an unspecified date until March 2023. He worked with others to transport fentanyl, which was then sold in Kansas communities.
“Turner was part of a criminal organization that injected both fentanyl and illegal drug proceeds into our communities,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Special Agent in Charge William Steenson, St. Louis Field Office. “We’re more committed than ever to using our financial expertise to help disrupt these drug trafficking organizations and bring the criminals who run them to justice.”
The investigation led to charges against 45 other people, including several from Kansas. Among those convicted were Clifton Ray Weatherspoon, 33, and Antonio Dawayne Knight, 27, both from Wichita. Weatherspoon received a sentence of 25 years while Knight was sentenced to over 12 years.
In February 2023, Weatherspoon and Knight traveled from Wichita to Phoenix by plane to buy 300,000 fentanyl pills. They packed the pills into two suitcases under their own names and flew back to Wichita. Federal agents intercepted one suitcase before it reached baggage claim and found half of the pills inside. The other suitcase containing the remaining pills was recovered after the men had collected it.
“Over the past few years, the federal government has partnered with state and local governments as well as community groups to curtail the fentanyl crisis. The prosecution of this large drug conspiracy was part of that work. However, we are not done in these efforts. While we try to save lives by raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, criminals seek to undermine that hard work” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Fentanyl dealers have little to no regard for human life and are willing to let children get ahold of this poison in efforts to turn a profit. We are grateful to law enforcement agents whose investigations keep this toxic substance off our streets.”
The case involved cooperation between multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Wichita Police Department, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Debra Barnett and Ola Odeyemi prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of an initiative under Executive Order 14159 aimed at dismantling criminal cartels and transnational criminal organizations operating within or affecting the United States.
