A Belton, Missouri man pleaded guilty on April 16 in federal court to distributing more than 40 grams of fentanyl. Raimon Martez Gilliam, also known as “Ray Money,” “Money,” and “Money Mike,” entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark.
Gilliam admitted to selling fentanyl to a confidential informant working with the Jackson County Drug Task Force. The transaction took place on October 8, 2025, near Indiana Avenue in Kansas City, where Gilliam exchanged two baggies containing a total of 73.02 grams of fentanyl for $5,400.
After the sale, detectives recovered the substances and sent them for analysis at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory. Both baggies were confirmed to contain fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.
Federal statutes require that Gilliam receive a sentence ranging from five years up to forty years in prison without parole. The actual sentence will be determined by the court following an investigation by the United States Probation Office and based on advisory sentencing guidelines.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad K. Kavanaugh is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Jackson County Drug Task Force as part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling criminal organizations.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri supports community outreach and prevention programs addressing violent crime and drug trafficking according to its official website. The office has locations in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield according to its official website, handles prosecutions across 66 counties according to its official website, covers territory from Iowa’s border southward to Arkansas and eastward halfway across Missouri according to its official website, is affiliated with the Department of Justice according to its official website, and collaborates with various law enforcement partners according to its official website.
