KC Man Charged with Meth Trafficking, Illegal Firearms

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man was charged in federal court today with illegally possessing methamphetamine to distribute and two firearms.

Law enforcement officer seized this Bushmaster .223/5.56-caliber rifle while executing a search warrant at Younce's residence.

Steven L. Younce, 38, was charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine to distribute, one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

According to an affidavit filed in support of today’s criminal complaint, deputies with the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Younce, who had outstanding municipal warrants, at his residence on Thursday, July 23.

Law enforcement officers seized this Glock 9mm handgun while executing a search warrant at Younce's residence.

Detectives from the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department and deputies from the U.S. Marshals Service executed a search warrant at Younce’s residence on the same day. In Younce’s bedroom, they found 696 grams of methamphetamine on top of the bed, 39 grams of methamphetamine in a dresser drawer, a loaded Bushmaster .223/5.56-caliber rifle, and a loaded Glock 9mm handgun. Additional ammunition, several glass smoking pipes, and drug paraphernalia were found throughout the residence.

Law enforcement officers also seized a stolen 2019 Harley Davidson motorcycle and a stolen Suzuki motorcycle.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who is convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Younce has prior federal felony convictions for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing methamphetamine to distribute. He has prior state felony convictions for forgery, tampering with a motor vehicle, possessing a controlled substance, and unlawful use of a weapon.

The charges contained in this complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Kate Butterfield. It was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Operation LeGend
Operation LeGend is a federal partnership with local law enforcement to address the increase in homicides and violent crime in Kansas City, Mo., in 2020. The operation honors the memory of four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, one of the youngest fatalities during a record-breaking year of homicides and shootings. Additional federal agents were assigned to the operation from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.