Cuba, Missouri, Man Sentenced to 120 Months’ Imprisonment for Drug, Gun Offenses

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Cuba, Missouri, man, Raymond Toth, 65, was sentenced on October 13, 2023, to 120 months in federal prison, consisting of 60 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and 60 months’ imprisonment for possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug crime. United States District Judge Colleen R. Lawless further ordered Toth to serve four years of supervised release after completing his prison sentence.

Evidence presented at the sentencing hearing showed that Toth brought large amounts of methamphetamine from Missouri to Taylorville, Illinois, for his coconspirators to distribute in the Central District of Illinois. In total, Toth was responsible for helping to distribute approximately eight pounds of almost pure methamphetamine. Toth also possessed a 9 mm handgun when he was arrested in a Pana, Illinois, parking lot with 756 grams of methamphetamine.

Toth was indicted in June 2018 and pleaded guilty in June 2023. He has been detained and is in the custody of the United States Marshal since May 24, 2018. Toth’s co-defendants Randy Hammond, Macy Sweitzer, and Claudette Borders were previously sentenced for their roles in the conspiracy, and co-defendant Jesse Stoldorf is scheduled to be sentenced on October 20, 2023.

The statutory penalties for conspiracy to distribute five grams or more of actual methamphetamine are not less than five and up to forty years’ imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and up to a life term of supervised release. The penalties for possessing a firearm during and in furtherance of a drug crime are up to life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Springfield Resident Office; the Illinois State Police; the Christian County, Illinois, Sheriff’s Office; the Taylorville, Illinois, Police Department; and the Pana, Illinois, Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Toth is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.