KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A federal grand jury handed up an indictment Tuesday that accuses an Independence man of selling fentanyl and illegally possessing firearms.
Demarkus Q. Shelton, 44, is charged in federal court with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, seven counts of distributing fentanyl, six counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to a news release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri.
The release states the investigation began Feb. 22, 2024, when a teenager died in Johnson County, Missouri, from an apparent overdose.
Law officers found evidence the teen used fentanyl before he died, and an autopsy found the cause of death as the toxic effects of fentanyl.
The investigation into the teen's death revealed Shelton sold the teen and several others fentanyl the day of the victim's death, per the release.
During the investigation, Shelton sold more than 90 grams of the powder form of fentanyl.
He also is alleged to have carried a handgun with a drum magazine, along with an AK-47 or an AR-style rifle, the release stated.
Shelton was arrested Aug. 5 in a hotel room where officers found two guns.
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