Springfield CEO sentenced for meth conspiracy

Roy James Hudspeth, 42, CEO and vice president of Handi-Rak, was sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri to 20 years in federal prison without parole. Handi-Rak is a wholesale distributor to convenience stores.

In September, a federal jury convicted Hudspeth of participating in a conspiracy to distribute pseudoephedrine between 2001 and 2003, knowing that it would be used to manufacture methamphetamine. He also was found guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering and two counts of money laundering.

Fourteen co-defendants, including a Handi-Rak sales manager and four sales agents, were convicted for their roles in the conspiracy.

In a related case, David L. Deputy, 54, owner of The Castle head shop in Forsyth and D and D Distributors, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole. He was found guilty of leading a criminal conspiracy to possess and distribute pseudoephedrine, knowing it would be used to make methamphetamine. Thirteen co-defendants in that case also were sentenced.

The sentences are a result of Operation Ice Palace, a long-term investigation into the illegal sale of large quantities of over-the-counter cold medicine to methamphetamine manufacturers in southwest Missouri. The investigation resulted in indictments against 53 defendants.

The investigation was conducted by IRS-Criminal Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Combined Ozarks Multijurisdictional Enforcement Team; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; the Greene County Sheriff’s Department; the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department; the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department; the Arkansas State Police; and the Springfield Police Department.