Ozark Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Meth Conspiracy

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - An Ozark, Mo., man and a Springfield, Mo., man have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Robert Jason Smith, 48, of Ozark, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole. Smith was sentenced as a career criminal due to his prior felony convictions.

In a separate but related case, Aaron A. Keltner, 41, of Springfield, was sentenced on Thursday, Sept. 26, to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

On Feb. 15, 2024, Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Smith admitted that he sold 25.17 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on June 22, 2021. The next day, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop while Smith was driving a black GMC pickup. An officer searched the truck and found a small black backpack on the rear floorboard behind the driver's seat. Inside the backpack was a Ziploc bag that contained 217.98 grams of methamphetamine and $4,000 in cash. The officer found another backpack, which contained hundreds of rounds of assorted handgun, rifle, and shotgun ammunition, in the bed of the pickup.

Officers executed a search warrant at Smith's residence the same day, on June 22, 2021. In the master bedroom, officers found a Ziploc bag that contained 53.86 grams of methamphetamine as well as a Taurus .22-caliber semi-automatic pistol under the mattress.

Smith told investigators he purchased a pound of methamphetamine each week from a co-defendant who was working with Keltner, for which he paid $5,000, and a pound of methamphetamine every two or three weeks from a separate source of supply.

According to court documents, Smith is responsible for the distribution of more than 12 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Smith has 13 prior felony convictions, six of which were for selling drugs.

Smith is the first defendant to be sentenced in this case. Two co-defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing. Two co-defendants are scheduled for trial.

Keltner, who was charged separately, pleaded guilty on March 11, 2024, to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, Keltner regularly coordinated trips to acquire 14 to 16 kilograms of methamphetamine from Oklahoma per trip, using women to make the trips for him. He would then divide up the methamphetamine for re-distribution.

Keltner admitted that he was in possession of an Anderson Manufacturing AR-15 style .223/5.56mm semi-automatic rifle, a Savage Arms .223-caliber bolt-action rifle, and a Marlin .22-caliber bolt-action rifle. The firearms were found by law enforcement officers when they executed a search warrant at Keltner's residence.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Keltner has numerous prior felony convictions, including for the distribution, delivery, or manufacture of a controlled substance.

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

Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.