Accused Drug Dealer from Rural Missouri Lived Life Like Episode of Miami Vice

By Chad Garrison Tue., Jul. 28 2009 at 11:58 AM

Categories: News, Puff, Puff, Pass

Where were you guys?

The only characters missing from a drug case made public yesterday in federal court in St. Louis were detectives James Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Daniel Bryan Webster, a car dealer from Stanton, Missouri, (approximately 60 miles southwest of St. Louis) pleaded guilty last Friday to orchestrating a massive marijuana ring in rural Franklin County.

Webster admitted to felony conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana and twelve felony counts of structuring financial transactions to evade reporting requirements.

Apparently the drug business was very, very nice to Mr. Webster, allowing him to acquire a 2003 Dodge Viper, 1956 Ford Thunderbird, 1988 Ferrari 328 GTS, and an '04 Gator X-Stream boat. Sadly, though, all Webster's toys (plus $230,000 in cash) may now be forfeited to the government.

Also involved in the drug outfit were several other Missourians and their Texas suppliers. Those accused co-conspirators include:

Brian Waltman, 41, of Eureka, Missouri, sentenced to five years in prison March 2009;
Dennis Vaughn, 31, of Riverview, Missouri, sentenced to five years probation May 2009;
Walter D. Forman, 69, of Galveston, Texas, pleaded guilty in January, sentencing September 2009;
Elmer Padilla, pleaded guilty in a separate indictment, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2008.
James P. Clark, 83, of Galveston, Texas, is facing trial.

collectormotors.com

A 1988 Ferrari 328 similar to the one seized from Webster.

Authorities say Webster admitted with his plea that between the fall of 2004 through August 13, 2008, he led a conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana in the Franklin County area with several co-defendants, and that his sources of supply were from the Houston, Texas area. Webster is the owner of Iron Gate Auto Sales in Cuba, Missouri.

Acting United States Attorney Michael W. Reap commended the work on the case by the Franklin County Narcotics Task Force, the Crawford County Sheriff's Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Assistant United States Attorneys Noelle Collins and Zia Faruqui.

Reap did not mention the names Crockett or Tubbs, leaving us only to presume that the famed television detectives worked undercover on this case.