Ringleader of fentanyl trafficking conspiracy sentenced to prison

WICHITA, KAN. - An Arizona man was sentenced to 272 months in prison for his part in a drug trafficking ring that transported large amounts of fentanyl into Kansas.

According to court documents, Rafael Turner, 35, of Phoenix, Arizona, and formerly of Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Beginning on a date unknown and continuing through March 2023, Turner conspired with other people to distribute fentanyl.

"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."

Forty-five other individuals were prosecuted as part of this overall investigation, which included individuals in Kansas. Across the country, individuals have been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing. Included among them are Clifton Ray Weatherspoon, 33, and Antonio Dawayne Knight, 27, both of Wichita, who were each convicted of one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Weatherspoon was sentenced to 300 months in prison. Knight was sentenced to 150 months in prison.

In February 2023, Weatherspoon and Knight traveled by plane from Wichita to Phoenix, Arizona, to purchase 300,000 fentanyl pills. They packed the pills into two suitcases, checked the luggage under their names, and flew back to Wichita. Pursuant to a federal search warrant, law enforcement officers seized one of the bags before it reached the baggage claim area. They x-rayed and searched the luggage and discovered 15 bags stuffed inside containing 150,000 fentanyl pills. Agents arrested Weatherspoon and Knight, who had by then retrieved the second suitcase from baggage claim. A search of that bag showed it also contained approximately 150,000 fentanyl pills.

"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 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) investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Debra Barnett and Ola Odeyemi prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Wichita comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Agency (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service, and Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigative Division (IRS-CID) with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Kansas.
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