The owners of Rogersville startup Hellbender Meadery LLC have been indicted for their roles in a $6.8 million conspiracy to distribute synthetic drugs.
Hellbender owners Caitlyn Franklin, 24, her brother Brandon Franklin, 26, and their father, Douglas Franklin, 54, were charged in a three-count indictment returned under seal Nov. 6 and opened to the public Nov. 9. The defendants are charged together with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a news release from the office of David Ketchmark, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.
In the Springfield Business Journal story "
Hellbender Meadery targets November launch," Caitlyn Franklin said the owners were planning to bring the meadery's line of carbonated mead to market with an opening this month. The business operates on a 60-acre family-owned cattle farm at 3820 State Hwy. KK in Rogersville.
The indictment lists the Rogersville land, including its buildings, as property that could be seized in relation to the alleged charges.
Caitlyn and Brandon Franklin and Hellbender Comptroller Trasi McCart could not be reached for comment by deadline. A call to Hellbender Meadery this morning went directly to voice mail.
The indictment alleges the Franklins were involved in a scheme to distribute K2 since October 2009 through their Springfield business, ThirdEye. K2 is the common name given to a controlled substance analogue, a product with a chemical structure similar to that of a controlled substance and causing similar effects on a person's central nervous system, the U.S. attorney said.
"This indictment marks the first-ever federal prosecution for synthetic drugs in the Western District of Missouri,” Ketchmark said in the release. “Those who profit from the sale of these dangerous and illegal substances are nothing more than drug traffickers.
"They may think they can skirt the letter of the law by tweaking a molecule or changing a chemical formula. But together with our law enforcement partners, we are combating this alarming trend and we will bring them to justice."
The indictment alleges the Franklins committed mail fraud via FedEx by selling and shipping Krp2nite - a synthetic cannabinoid containing compounds intended for human consumption as a drug. The indictment alleges the products were shipped to several Springfield businesses, including Mr. Nice Guy, Good Vibes, Sunshine 1 and SRB Green Energy. The product also was shipped to Mr. Nice Guy in Joplin, Ray's Country Store in Mountain Grove and Country Express in Mountain Grove, the release said.
The Franklins also allegedly engaged in a money laundering conspiracy related to the financial transactions involved with the proceeds of the activity, which the release said were designed to conceal or disguise the nature, location, source, ownership and control.
The indictment contains several forfeiture provisions that would require the Franklins to forfeit to the government property derived from the proceeds of the alleged offenses, including a money judgment of $6.8 million; real estate in Springfield, Rogersville, Springfield, Ore., and Redding, Calif.; a 2010 Toyota Tacoma and an enclosed trailer; funds contained in several bank accounts totaling $535,000; and investment funds totaling $318,000, the release said.
This case is being prosecuted by Michael Oliver, a supervisory assistant U.S. attorney. It was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation; the Jasper County Drug Task Force; the South Central Drug Task Force; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; the Springfield Police Department; the Newton County Sheriff’s Department; and the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
