KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 58-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man is sentenced on charges related to trafficking heroin and methamphetamine and to illegally possessing firearms.

Brian Tice was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

Tice pleaded guilty in July of 2022 to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin, two counts of possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

He admitted that he received an Express Mail package from California on Feb. 18, 2022, that contained 393.26 grams of heroin. The package was intercepted by a postal inspector, who learned that Tice had been sent 20 similar packages from the same person in California over the previous year.

Law enforcement officers set up a controlled delivery of the package to Tice’s residence. When he brought the package inside and opened it, officers executed a search warrant at his residence.

At the residence they found two stolen handguns, a third loaded handgun next to the package, 115 grams of meth, two grams of cocaine and other drug paraphernalia.

Tice was arrested on March 5 as he was leaving a residence that was under surveillance. Upon searching his vehicle, they found several other drug tablets and a vial of fentanyl.

Tice had previously been arrested in 2019 after being stopped for nearly colliding with a police officer. He failed the field-sobriety test and when his vehicle was searched they found large amounts of heroin and over $3,500 in cash.