An Arizona man has been sentenced to more than 22 years in prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking operation that brought large quantities of the drug into Kansas. According to court documents, Rafael Turner, 35, of Phoenix and formerly of Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
The investigation revealed that Turner conspired with others from an unknown date through March 2023 to distribute fentanyl. “Turner was part of a criminal organization that injected both fentanyl and illegal drug proceeds into our communities,” said IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Special Agent in Charge William Steenson, St. Louis Field Office. “We’re more committed than ever to using our financial expertise to help disrupt these drug trafficking organizations and bring the criminals who run them to justice.”
Authorities prosecuted 45 other individuals as part of this investigation, including people based in Kansas. Among those convicted were Clifton Ray Weatherspoon, 33, and Antonio Dawayne Knight, 27, both from Wichita. Each was found guilty of possessing fentanyl with intent to distribute; Weatherspoon received a sentence of 25 years while Knight was sentenced to over 12 years.
In February 2023, Weatherspoon and Knight traveled by plane from Wichita to Phoenix to purchase approximately 300,000 fentanyl pills. They packed the pills into two suitcases under their names and returned by air to Wichita. Law enforcement seized one suitcase before it reached baggage claim at the airport and discovered it contained about half the pills; agents arrested both men after they had retrieved the second suitcase containing the remainder.
“Over the past few years, the federal government has partnered with state and local governments as well as community groups to curtail the fentanyl crisis. The prosecution of this large drug conspiracy was part of that work. However, we are not done in these efforts. While we try to save lives by raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl, criminals seek to undermine that hard work,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Fentanyl dealers have little to no regard for human life and are willing to let children get ahold of this poison in efforts to turn a profit. We are grateful to law enforcement agents whose investigations keep this toxic substance off our streets.”
The case was investigated by several agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Wichita Police Department, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Debra Barnett and Ola Odeyemi prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of a broader initiative under Executive Order 14159 called Protecting the American People Against Invasion through the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). The HSTF brings together multiple federal agencies—including FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service and IRS-CID—to target criminal cartels and transnational organizations operating within or affecting communities across the United States.
