Seven suspects — six from Randolph County and one from Missouri  — were charged recently in federal court with methamphetamine offenses. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department and Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted in the investigation into at least six of them.

Rodney V. Howie, 47, of Tilden, and Jordan P. Leggans, 29, of Sparta, were both charged Monday with conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.

The indictment alleges that the offense occurred between sometime in 2015 and February 2017, in Perry, Randolph, Monroe and St. Clair counties.

Howie and Leggans appeared Monday in federal court Monday and were ordered held without bond pending an Thursday detention hearing.

The meth offense carries a maximum penalty of five to 40 years of imprisonment followed by four years of supervised release and a $5 million fine.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Monroe County Sheriff’s Department, St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, Perry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Randolph County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Monroe County State’s Attorney’s Office also assisted in the investigation.

Last Tuesday, Brian A. Mudd, 59, of Ruma, was also charged with conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of meth. The indictment alleges that the offense occurred between June 2016 and Dec. 8, 2017, in Randolph County.

He was also ordered held without bond pending a Thursday detention hearing.

Last week, Garrick E.R. Recker, a/k/a “Curtis Lowe,” 26, of Lenzburg, Paige M. Gleghorn, 26, of Sparta, Jeremy J. Humphries, 31, a/k/a “Hump” and “Slick,” of Tilden, and Derek L. Sumpter, 29, a/k/a “Doucher,” of Cape Girardeau, Mo., were all charged in federal court with conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of meth.

Their indictment alleges the offense occurred sometime between 2015 and February 2017, in Perry, Randolph, Monroe and St. Clair counties.

Gleghorn was ordered held without bond pending a May 15 jury trial. Recker, Sumpter and Humphries had previously appeared in federal court and were also ordered held without bond pending trial.