Independence Man Pleads Guilty to Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearms
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing methamphetamine and firearms.
Devin D. Cofer, 24, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
By pleading guilty today, Cofer admitted he was in possession of a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun and a Taurus 9mm semi-automatic handgun on April 19, 2019. Cofer, a daily methamphetamine user, traded three grams of methamphetamine and $50 to purchase the Taurus.
Cofer also admitted that he possessed 86.3 grams of methamphetamine, which he intended to distribute, on May 17, 2019. Cofer also possessed a Walther semi-automatic handgun and a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun in furtherance of his intended distribution of methamphetamine. Cofer admitted to having purchased the Glock two days prior by trading seven grams of methamphetamine for the weapon, and purchasing the Walther two days prior from a “dope guy.”
Under federal statutes, Cofer is subject to a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole for the drug-trafficking count, plus a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole for the firearms count. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Caleb J. Aponte, who is a cross-designated prosecutor from the Missouri Attorney General’s office as part of the Safer Streets Initiative to combat violent crime. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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