BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Stoddard County Prosecuting Attorney Russell Oliver has known since Dec. 2010 that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) was pursuing charges against Kevin Bay and John Hawkins--he just couldn't talk about it.
When charges were dropped in the state case that grabbed headlines throughout Missouri, some scratched their heads regarding why a case so hotly-pursued would be dropped.
Eventually, civil suits were brought forth by several local businesses from which the products were seized accusing Oliver of having jumped the gun.
With those cases settled by the county's insurance company, the merits of the initial charges were never aired out at the local level.
"We couldn't say anything until the indictment became unsealed," Oliver said.
Not being able to talk about the case publicly left Oliver in an awkward position regarding the decision to drop state charges.
"I've taken my share of hits over it," he said. "In the end, I'm glad to have gone through it."
Oliver said that if Bay and Hawkins are convicted, it will be worth the years of work that has gone into this case.
The Stoddard County case has been credited with having sparked a nationwide operation targeting the import, manufacture and distribution of designer synthetic drugs.
Operation Logjam, as it was named by the DEA, resulted in the seizure of 19 million packets of synthetic drugs and a total of $39 million in drug money.
In the Bay-Hawkins case, a total of $2 million was seized and, under federal law, a portion of that will likely come to Stoddard County.
Oliver said that drug seizure money, in the event of a conviction, is divided up between all of the investigation agencies with portions given out according to their level of participation.
In this case, Oliver said the money would likely be shared between the DEA, the Boone County Sheriff's Department, the Columbia Police Department, the Stoddard County Sheriff's Office, the Office of Prosecuting Attorney in Stoddard County and the Dexter Police Dept.
Of the money seized, the first 20 percent would go to the United States Department of Justice and the remaining 80 percent is the portion that would be divided.
Oliver did not guess as to what portion could come to Stoddard County in the case.