Two men charged, denied bond for alleged drug trafficking scheme

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Two men were charged and denied bond for an alleged drug trafficking scheme that ran cocaine from Carbondale, Ill., to Sikeston.

Leonard L. Phillips, 27, of Charleston, Mo., and Vincent M. Gray, 25, of Carbondale, were each charged with felony drug trafficking, a news release from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety stated.

The men were arrested Thursday in the South Point Shopping Center in Sikeston during a "buy-bust" undercover operation carried out by several law enforcement agencies from Illinois and Missouri.

In the operation, Gray brought crack cocaine from Carbondale to Sikeston on multiple occasions in exchange for cash, according to the release.

Phillips, an associate of Gray, was involved in the narcotics sale at the shopping center.

Both men were being held without bond and were scheduled for an arraignment Monday in New Madrid County.