International drug case nets meth ingredient pills

A California man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Cape Girardeau to felony methamphetamine-related and money laundering conspiracy charges in connection with the largest pseudoephedrine case ever handled in the Eastern District of Missouri. Dan Frankel, 46, of San Clemente, Calif., was arrested June 25 in Las Vegas, Nev. During the investigation, officers seized more than 4 million pseudoephedrine pills. The case was a joint operation of several federal, Canadian and local law enforcement agencies, including the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, Poplar Bluff Police Department and Butler County Sheriff's Department.