Man Arrested in St. Joseph Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking, Illegal Firearms

A man who was arrested in Saint Joseph with more than 11 kilograms of methamphetamine in his vehicle pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri says 49-year-old Mark Edmundson, who has no known address, pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Beth Phillips to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

On January 2, 2023, Saint Joseph police officers located Edmundson at a gas station after receiving information from the Brown County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Department that he had been involved in a shooting there.

The officer initiated his emergency lights and stopped his patrol vehicle directly behind Edmundson’s SUV.

The SUV then backed into the officer’s vehicle.

At that point, the officer pushed the SUV up to the building with his patrol car to prevent its escape.

Edmundson stepped out of his vehicle and was arrested.

When officers searched the vehicle, they found 25 vacuum-sealed bags that contained a total of nearly nine kilograms of methamphetamine in the back seat.

Under the hood, officers found two more bags that contained approximately 901 grams of methamphetamine.

Officers also found a handgun between the center console and the front passenger seat.

They found a handgun and two zip-lock bags that contained approximately 681 grams of methamphetamine in the back trunk section of the SUV.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to have any firearm or ammunition.

Edmundson has prior felony convictions for delivering a controlled substance, tampering with a motor vehicle, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Under federal statutes, Edmundson 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.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Gibson.

It was investigated by the Saint Joseph Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department.