JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - Five Joplin people have been indicted in a heroin-distribution conspiracy that authorities allege led to the overdose death of a 26-year-old man.
The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/yT5ME1) reported that the nine-count indictment was unsealed and made public Friday after the arrests and initial court appearances of the defendants.
The defendants range in age from 24 to 33. They are accused of conspiring to distribute 100 or more grams of heroin from June to September of last year. One of the defendants also is charged with being a felon in possession of firearms.
The indictment says the drug-distribution conspiracy led to the death of Ryan Cockrell of Joplin. Cockrell was found unconscious and not breathing Aug. 19 inside a Joplin home. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died.