Sikeston man pleads guilty to federal drug charge

A Sikeston, Mo., man could face 40 years in federal prison after entering a guilty plea on a drug charge.

Alan D. Turner, 28, pleaded guilty to one felony count of possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute. He appeared before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. on Tuesday in Cape Girardeau.

Turner now faces a maximum of 40 years imprisonment and a $2 million fine, followed by a period of supervised release of at least four years, according to a news release issued by acting federal prosecutor Michael W. Reap. Sentencing is set for March 8 in Cape Girardeau.

With his plea, Turner admitted that on or about June 10, shortly after 3 a.m., he was a passenger in a vehicle that was parked in the front yard of a residence in Sikeston. Someone reported the vehicle to law enforcement and when an officer arrived to investigate, Turner threw packages containing controlled substances into the rear of the vehicle. One of the packages contained cocaine base, also known as "crack" cocaine.

Turner later admitted that the cocaine base was his and that he intended to distribute it to other persons.