KC Man Sentenced for Illegal Firearms

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo. man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Darren M. Wood, 28, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips on Wednesday, March 26, to 5 years in federal prison without parole.

On Nov. 20, 2024, Wood pleaded guilty to one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

On Sept. 15, 2023, officers from the Belton, Mo. Police Department were dispatched on a suspicious activity call for someone sleeping in a vehicle.  Wood exited the vehicle when officers began approaching the vehicle.

Officers observed a Glock 19, 9mm pistol in the front driver’s seat.  The firearm was loaded with one round in the chamber and a fully loaded 15-round magazine. Officers searched Wood and located over $3,000 cash.  Officers searched the vehicle and located 285 blue tablets labeled “M30” which contained fentanyl, 20 alprazolam tablets, 4 clonazepam tablets, and 2 bottles containing liquid promethazine.

Wood also possessed a black AR-15 style rifle with a loaded magazine and no serial number, which officers located in the vehicle’s trunk.

This case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Jennings It was investigated by the Belton, Mo. Police Department, the Jackson County Drug Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods

This case 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.