Excelsior Estates Man Sentenced to 19 Years for Leading Meth Conspiracy

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Excelsior Estates, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in leading a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Mark A. Whitworth, 65, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to 19 years and seven months in federal prison without parole.

Whitworth was found guilty at trial on June 9, 2022, of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from July 1, 2018, to Aug. 18, 2019, and one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

On Aug. 18, 2019, the Missouri State Highway Patrol executed a search warrant at Whitworth’s residence. They found a safe concealed behind a flag in the master bedroom closet that contained 60 $100 bills, totaling $6,000. They also found a cardboard box in a shed that contained approximately 256 grams of methamphetamine. Also in the shed, officers found a 12-gauge shotgun, a .410 shotgun, shotgun shells, and various items that indicated the methamphetamine was being prepared for distribution (including a digital scale and plastic baggies). Officers also found a closed-circuit camera system, which was connected to an external camera, and a police scanner in the shed. According to court documents, a small amount of pre-bagged methamphetamine weighing approximately six grams was recovered from inside a drawer in the shed.

Co-defendant Russell Lee Walker, 57, who shared a residence with Whitworth, was sentenced on July 6, 2022, to four years in federal prison without parole after pleading guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. Walker testified at trial that he helped Whitworth by selling methamphetamine two or three times a week in lieu of paying rent.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick D. Daly and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Cooper. It was investigated by the FBI and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.