Fatal overdoses of three suburban teens linked to alleged Kansas City fentanyl dealer

A 22-year-old man faces federal charges in connection with distribution of fentanyl in an alleged Kansas City area drug operation that authorities linked to the deaths of three suburban teenagers.

Federal prosecutors have charged Tiger Dean Draggoo, of Kansas City, in the Western District of Missouri with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession of firearms to further illegal drug trafficking and illegal possession of machine guns. An arrest warrant for Draggoo was issued Friday and court documents detailing the charges were filed under seal and made public following his arrest Monday.

According to an affidavit prepared by a detective with the Jackson County Drug Task Force, the investigation into Draggoo began with the overdose death of a Belton juvenile, identified as B.R.J. in court documents, on Jan. 14, 2022.

Police were told by the teenager's mother of an opioid addiction that involved ingesting crushed pills by snorting. A blue pill stamped with M30 - which has commonly become known among local and federal drug investigators to be used by fentanyl pill manufacturers - was discovered inside B.J.R.'s bedroom that later tested positive for fentanyl.

The teenager was later found by a medical examiner to have died of "acute fentanyl intoxication," according to court documents. A search of the teen's Instagram account led detectives to messages that concerned drug transactions, including one that described an earlier overdose during which B.R.J. was administered Narcan - a drug used in opioid overdose emergencies - after purchasing a pill allegedly linked to Draggoo.

"Bro I just got narcaned alive g... And I only did a (quarter)," B.R.J. wrote to a friend in early January over Instagram, according to court documents.

Over the course of months, detectives interviewed local juveniles and family members who told them of a person selling the pills - usually somewhere between $20 and $30 apiece, advertised as Percocet - and went by "Tiger" or the alias "Ricky Thomas," according to court documents. In September, two other Belton teenagers - one a juvenile, the other a young adult - died of fentanyl poisoning that authorities allege was purchased from Draggoo.

On Sept. 22, a search of Draggoo's south Kansas City apartment was conducted as Jackson County deputies , according to court documents. Inside they reported finding 17 firearms - nine rifles, a shotgun and seven handguns, including two with trigger devices converting them to automatic weapons - 22 blue counterfeit Percocet pills marked M30, a bullet-proof vest and nearly $250,000 in cash.

Records show Draggoo made his initial appearance Monday afternoon on the charges before Judge Brian M. Gaddy in Kansas City's downtown federal courthouse. He was ordered to be temporarily held by federal authorities without set bail until his preliminary and detention hearing, which was scheduled to take place Thursday morning.

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