A 49-year-old man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree trafficking, following a Jackson County investigation into fentanyl and methamphetamine sales by Helm, whose residence was about 300 feet from a preschool. Stephen B. Helm pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in a case involving fentanyl and methamphetamine, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson.
The case, reported by KCTV, began in late 2024 when investigators from the DEA Kansas City District Office and the Lee's Summit Police Department coordinated a controlled purchase from Helm. A confidential informant bought 145.6 grams of methamphetamine and 34.49 grams of fentanyl from Helm for $1,000, per the probable cause statement, and the purchased drugs tested positive in field tests.
More than a year later, on Jan. 15, 2026, investigators sent another confidential informant to buy drugs from Helm, this time purchasing $40 worth of fentanyl that weighed 0.50 grams. That fentanyl also tested positive in a field test, according to the same account.
Detectives Search Residence Near Preschool
Six days later, on Jan. 21, 2026, detectives searched Helm's residence. They found 17.4 grams of methamphetamine, 2 grams of fentanyl, digital scales, small plastic bags and pipes with burnt residue, per the probable cause statement. That residence was about 300 feet away from a preschool, the same document states.
During the search, a person detained at the scene told investigators they had bought around $40 worth of fentanyl from Helm before officers entered the residence. Separately, an individual in another case told detectives in January that they had repeatedly bought methamphetamine from Helm and knew him to be armed, according to the probable cause statement.
Task Force and Funding Behind the Investigation
The Jackson County Drug Task Force investigated the case, with funding from COMBAT and the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the prosecutor. Missouri law, under Revised Statutes of Missouri Section 579.065, lists more than three milligrams of fentanyl or a derivative as one threshold tied to first-degree trafficking offenses, and separately includes any compound, mixture or substance containing a detectable amount.
No further information had been released as of the report's publication. The case involved coordination between local police, federal agents and county-funded task force resources, and sent Helm to prison for eight years.
