German National Sentenced to 23 Years for Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearms
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A German national was sentenced in federal court today for methamphetamine trafficking and illegally possessing firearms.
Manuel Poludenyj, 36, of Springfield, Mo., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 23 years in federal prison without parole.
On June 24, 2021, Poludenyj pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Springfield police officers executed a search warrant at Poludenyj’s residence on Jan. 3, 2019. In a bedroom, officers found a bag that contained 47.7 grams of pure methamphetamine, a stolen Ruger .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol with a high-capacity magazine, and a stolen New England Firearms 12-gauge short-barrel shotgun. Officers also found a paint can with a false bottom in the bedroom, which contained 92.5 grams of methamphetamine, 24.09 grams of cocaine, and 1.69 grams of fentanyl. Poludenyj had $625 in cash in his pocket.
Poludenyj has a criminal history that includes five felony convictions and 32 misdemeanor convictions. Among those convictions are acts of violence towards women, police officers, and others, as well as drug-trafficking offenses. Poludenyj was on state supervision at the time of this federal offense.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nhan D. Nguyen. It was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
