Kansas Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Crack and Powder Cocaine

United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that July 1, 2013, Jared Lance Howe, 29, of Topeka, Kansas, was sentenced to five years (60 months) in prison for his conviction for conspiracy to distribute cocaine base and powder cocaine.  Howe will serve four years on supervised release after completion of the prison term.

Information provided to law enforcement indicated that between January of 2007 and June 14, 2011, Howe was involved with a group of persons who were transporting cocaine base, also known as crack cocaine, and powder cocaine from the Denver, Colorado area to the North Platte, Nebraska area and locations in Kansas.  On two occasions in May and June of 2011, Howe and Megan Miller, of Denver, picked up crack cocaine from Howe’s co-defendant, Lavon Owens, in the Denver area.  Howe then drove Miller to the North Platte area where Miller delivered the crack cocaine.  Howe was held responsible for the distribution of at least 96 grams (approximately 3 ½ ounces) of cocaine base. 

Owens also pled guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced in December of 2012 to 78 months in prison.  Miller was indicted separately for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and powder cocaine and was sentenced to 57 months in prison in April of 2012.

This case was investigated by the CODE Task Force which is made up of law enforcement agencies throughout a 22-county area in west-central/southwest Nebraska and includes the North Platte Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff=s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff=s Office, Red Willow County Sheriff=s Office, Frontier County Sheriff=s Office, Nebraska State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).