Feds convict man in Osage meth bust

The office of U.S. Attorney Trent Shores announced July 30 that a federal court jury found Veng Xiong, 32, guilty in a drug prosecution that stemmed from an April 2018 bust in Osage County.

Shores’ office said Xiong was found guilty of “conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and to distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of a rifle and a short-barreled shotgun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of firearms.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Osage County deputies had played a key role in the case, covertly setting up a drug deal with an individual who agreed to sell thirty-three pounds of methamphetamine for $500,000.

“On April 9, 2018, the parties met at a predesignated location in rural Osage County in order to exchange the methamphetamine for cash,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Xiong, along with three co-conspirators, arrived in two separate vehicles. At that time, the Osage County and Osage Nation Joint Tactical Response Team conducted a takedown and arrested the four suspects, including Xiong.

“Upon search of the vehicles, deputies found multiple firearms, including a Glock