SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - A Springfield, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his leadership role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving four defendants and millions of dollars' worth of controlled substances.

Keith L. Rayford, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 25 years in federal prison without parole for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy after a prior drug felony conviction. Rayford pleaded guilty on Aug. 6, 2025. Because Rayford committed the offense while on federal supervised release following a prior federal drug trafficking conviction, Judge Wimes sentenced Rayford to an additional five years in federal prison without parole, for a total sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

According to court documents, on June 8, 2023, officers with the Springfield, Mo., Police Department were conducting surveillance on Ted Tyson's residence when they observed a cream-colored Chevrolet Avalanche pull into the driveway. Tyson walked out of the residence carrying a white plastic sack and approached the vehicle. Tyson walked back to the residence without the sack and the Avalanche left. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the Avalanche in a parking lot and identified the driver as Rayford. Rayford consented to a search of his vehicle, and officers located the white plastic sack, which was found to contain approximately $21,004 in U.S. currency. Officers then executed a search warrant at Tyson's residence, where they located and seized a black trash bag containing three gallon-size Ziploc bags of methamphetamine, five firearms, assorted ammunition, digital scales and plastic baggies. Investigators later learned that Tyson was conspiring with Rayford, Corey Williams, and Shannon Wells to distribute controlled substances.

On Sept. 1, 2023, officers executed a search warrant at Corey Williams' residence in Springfield. Search of the residence yielded approximately 97.76 grams of cocaine, approximately 326.95 grams of fentanyl, approximately 104.78 grams of heroin, approximately 330 fentanyl pills, four firearms, and approximately $54,500 in U.S. currency. On Sept. 6, 2023, officers arrested Williams in possession of approximately 37 pounds of methamphetamine and approximately 930 grams of cocaine. Investigators later discovered that Williams paid Rayford between $80,000 and $85,000 for the drugs, and that Williams was obtaining similar amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine from Rayford on a weekly basis. In total, Rayford was found to be responsible for the distribution of 3,085 pounds of methamphetamine, 97.61 pounds of cocaine, six kilograms of fentanyl, and 330 fentanyl pills.

Rayford is the third defendant to be sentenced in this case. Corey Williams was sentenced on Apr. 6, 2026, to 276 months in federal prison without parole for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Shannon Wells was sentenced on June 15, 2026, to 124 months in federal prison without parole for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Ted Tyson has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy, and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and is awaiting sentencing.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff's Office.

Homeland Security Task Force

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 Kansas City comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri.