Federal jury convicts Purdy man on meth, weapons charges

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Purdy, Mo., man has been convicted by a federal trial jury of possessing methamphetamine to distribute and of illegally possessing a firearm.

Guadalupe Urbina-Rodriguez, 71, was found guilty on Tuesday, March 26, of possessing methamphetamine to distribute, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that a federal postal inspector seized a package on Aug. 31, 2018, that was addressed to Urbina-Rodriguez’s address. The package, which contained 448.8 grams of methamphetamine, was purportedly mailed from a nonexistent address in California.

The postal inspector delivered the package to Urbina-Rodriguez, who was sitting in a chair under a tree in the front yard. Urbina-Rodriguez had a loaded Marlin .22-caliber rifle sitting beside him. Law enforcements officers then executed a search warrant of the residence and seized the package.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Urbina-Rodriguez has four prior felony convictions related to drug trafficking or possessing a controlled substance and a prior felony conviction for maintaining a public nuisance.

Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., deliberated for about an hour and 15 minutes before returning the guilty verdicts to U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, ending a trial that began Monday, March 26, 2019.

Under federal statutes, Urbina-Rodriguez is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Keller. It was investigated by the Ozark Drug Enforcement Team, the Cassville, Mo., Police Department, the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.