Wichita men found guilty for role in drug ring run from killer’s Oklahoma prison cell

Two Wichita men were convicted Friday by a federal jury for their role in a drug trafficking ring masterminded by a Kansas killer from his Oklahoma prison cell.

Kevin Lewis, 58, and Travis Vontress, 45, were found guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, heroin and powdered cocaine, among other charges. Lewis was also found guilty of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and Vontress for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

In all, 21 defendants pleaded guilty to charges related to the drug ring, including 49-year-old Travis Knighten, who was imprisoned in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary for killing a Kansas correctional officer in 1993.

According to a 2020 indictment, Knighten “directed the movements” of nearly two dozen underlings living in Wichita using calls and text messages sent from contraband cellphones.

The indictment lists Lewis as one of the “main traffickers” and says Vontress served as Knighten’s treasurer, getting the money together when the convicted killer got information about a possible deal.

At least five Wichita addresses served as stash houses.

“This sophisticated criminal organization went to great lengths to conceal their illegal activities from law enforcement such as using code words for various narcotics and street names instead of actual names,” U.S. Attorney Dustin Slinkard said in a DOJ release. “These court convictions show that as criminals work to evade the law, there are prosecutors and law enforcement agencies working just as hard to bring them to justice.”

Lewis and Vontress are both scheduled for sentencing June 22.

This story was originally published March 18, 2022 at 1:44 PM.