Gladstone Man Indicted for Heroin Conspiracy

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Gladstone, Mo., man was indicted by a federal grand jury today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin.

Charles David Rowell, 57, of Gladstone, was charged in a two-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo. Today’s indictment replaces a federal criminal complaint that was filed against Rowell on Dec. 19, 2016.

The federal indictment alleges that Rowell participated in a conspiracy to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin from Jan. 1 to Dec. 16, 2016. Rowell is also charged with one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the original criminal complaint, Rowell was stopped by law enforcement officers on Dec. 16, 2016, for a turn signal violation near Northeast 74^th Terrace and Northeast Shoal Creek Parkway in Kansas City, Mo. When officers searched the pickup truck Rowell was driving, they found a plastic bag containing seven clear plastic baggies inside a toolbox in the pickup truck. The seven plastic baggies had a combined weight of approximately 194 grams of heroin.

Today’s indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require Rowell to forfeit to the government any property derived from the proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy, including $320,000 that was received from the unlawful distribution of heroin (based on a sale price of $2,000 per ounce of heroin and distribution of 160 ounces of heroin).

Dickinson cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Rhoades. It was investigated by the FBI, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and the Clay County Drug Task Force.