KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Jonesboro, Mississippi, man was sentenced in federal court today for transporting more than five pounds of methamphetamine and nearly three pounds of heroin through Kansas City, Missouri, enroute to St. Louis, Mo.

Willie Lewis Braison, 48, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to seven years and three months in federal prison without parole. Braison was remanded to federal custody immediately following today’s hearing.

On Sept. 16, 2020, Braison pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute.

A Kansas City, Mo., Police Department detective saw Braison get off the train at a local station on Jan. 17, 2019. The detective contacted Braison and asked to search his suitcase. Braison admitted that he was carrying a suitcase that contained methamphetamine and heroin aboard a train from Los Angeles, California, for delivery in St. Louis. Inside the suitcase, five bundles that contained a total of 5.1 pounds of methamphetamine were hidden inside a cardboard box that was labeled as a variety pack of cookies. Also inside the suitcase were two bundles of heroin hidden inside a pair of size 18 high-top tennis shoes. The bundles, shaped like the insoles of the shoes, weighed a total of 2.9 pounds.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City Interdiction Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.