KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A 34-year-old Kansas City, Kan., man who was part of a drug trafficking ring that tried to take over the neighborhood around 20th Street and Longwood Avenue has been sentenced to 36.5-years in federal prison.

Mark A. Brooks was convicted in a jury trial on one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and more than 280 grams of crack cocaine; one count of conspiracy to maintain a residence at 2632 N. 20th Street in furtherance of drug trafficking; and one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine within 1,000 feet of Northwest Middle School.

Brooks was one of 17 defendants indicted as a result of Operation Camera Shy. The indictment alleged the traffickers distributed more than 4-million dollars worth of cocaine and crack on Kansas City streets.

During the operation, investigators used undercover buyers and electronic surveillance to shadow the traffickers.