Ohio Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A Cincinnati, Ohio, man was sentenced in federal court today for carrying thousands of methamphetamine pills aboard a bus traveling through Kansas City, Mo.

Antuan McClendon, 43, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole.

On Dec. 21, 2023, McClendon pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

McClendon was a passenger aboard a bus traveling from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Indianapolis, Indiana, which stopped at a terminal in Kansas City, Mo. McClendon was arrested after a law enforcement drug-sniffing dog alerted to his backpack in an overhead compartment above his seat.

Officers searched McClendon's backpack and found a large bundle hidden within a pair of jeans. The larger bundle contained three smaller bundles, each of which contained multi-colored tablets inside clear heat-sealed bags. In total, the bundles contained 8,288 methamphetamine tablets, which weighed a total of 2,899 grams.

McClendon admitted to officers that he had purchased the pills in Las Vegas and planned to sell them for $1 apiece.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefan C. Hughes. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.