Prosecutors announced charges Wednesday against seven Kansas City men for drug trafficking and said they planned to seek harsher sentences for five of them because they are gang members.
The case, announced jointly by U.S. Attorney Beth Phillips and Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar, marks the first time in western Missouri that prosecutors have used a federal law that allows them to seek an extra 10 years on sentences for defendants who are violent gang members.
“We are sending the message loud and clear that we will not tolerate gang activity in our community,” Kanatzar said.
Those charged: Kevion Darnell Bifford, 24, Kevin Levance Jackson, 22, Prince Earl Clarence Gilbert Jr., 24, Charles V. Williams, 23, Gary D. Smith, 44, Taj Runnell Griffin, 19, and Deron Andrew Scott, 23.
Prosecutors alleged the men were members of the “Click Clack Gang,” which operates in the area bounded by 27th Street and Emmanuel Cleaver Boulevard, and Jackson Avenue to the Paseo.
The gang is said to have derived its name from the sound made by cocking a semi-automatic handgun.
