By Patti Weaver
(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 32-year-old Ripley man accused of online drug trafficking through a social media application called Telegram has been jailed on $500,000 bail pending a Jan. 6 court appearance at which he can seek a preliminary hearing on a six-count charge punishable on conviction by up to two life prison terms plus 23 years and fines totaling $881,000.
Steven Wyn Stewart was charged with aggravated trafficking of the drugs LSD and MDMA; possessing with intent to distribute the drugs, DMT and/or Psilocybin, oxycodone, methadone, morphine, lisdexamfetamine, dextroamphetamine and/or methylphenidate, marijuana and/or marijuana products, buprenorphine, ketamine and/or codeine, alprazolam, diazepam, and clonazepam; having a gun during the commission of a felony and possessing drug paraphernalia.
Payne County Sheriff’s Investigator Brandon Myers on Sept. 3, 2024, joined a joint investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police and the United States Postal Inspection Service based in Harrisburg, Pa. into Stewart’s alleged online drug trafficking operations, according to his affidavit.
“Through the investigation, Steven Stewart had been identified as a suspect in the distribution of drugs. We learned that Steven is using a social media application called Telegram to facilitate the sale and distribution of drugs. He is using the United States Postal Service to mail the drugs to his customers,” Myers alleged in his affidavit.
“Telegram is an international cloud-based instant messaging application that allows users to send messages, photos, videos, and files of any type. It also features end-to-end encryption for voice calls and a secret chat option for more privacy. The app is known for its emphasis on privacy and security, offering features like self-destructing messages and the ability to create channels and groups with large member capacities.
“We learned that he had a marketplace named Steve’s Shop on his Telegram, where he listed the drugs he had in stock with prices. We learned that Steven Stewart’s residence was a camper trailer,” at an RV park in rural Ripley, the Payne County sheriff’s investigator alleged in his affidavit.
On Sept. 23, 2024, Pennsylvania state troopers in an undercover capacity purchased $695 worth of drugs, including Xanax (alprazolam), Molly (MDMA), morphine, and oxycodone, which Stewart had for sale on his Telegram marketplace by using cryptocurrency converted from Pennsylvania State Police official funds, the affidavit alleged.
“Steven shipped the order to Pennsylvania via the United States Parcel Service USPS, where the United States Postal Inspectors intercepted it,” the affidavit alleged.
On Oct. 21, 2024, Pennsylvania state troopers in an undercover capacity purchased $970 worth of drugs, including Valium, shrooms, Ketamine and MDMA, that Stewart had for sale on his Telegram marketplace by using cryptocurrency converted from Pennsylvania State Police official funds, the affidavit alleged. “Again, the drugs were shipped by Steven using the USPS and intercepted by USPIS out of Pennsylvania,” the affidavit alleged.
“On Nov. 18, 2024, Pennsylvania state troopers in an undercover capacity conducted a controlled order of the following drugs that Steven had for sale on his Telegram marketplace: one ounce of M $1,500 (MDMA), half ounce of K $840 (Ketamine), four alien head L tabs, $20 (LSD); Steven indicated that he had those items in stock and upon receiving the cryptocurrency would ship the drugs. We did not provide Steven with payment,” the Payne County sheriff’s investigator alleged in his affidavit.
Instead, the sheriff’s investigator obtained a search warrant issued by a Payne County judge for Stewart’s residence in rural Ripley and his white 2012 Subaru Outback, which was served on Nov. 19, 2024, at 10:41 am by the sheriff’s investigator assisted by other Payne County deputies, according to an affidavit by Myers, who secured Stewart in a patrol car.
“Steven had a workstation with his laptop computer hooked into an additional monitor on a table in the middle of the camper. In front of the computer was Steven’s wallet, a rolled-up ten-dollar bill, and Steven’s Oklahoma Driver’s License resting on top of three lines of a white powder substance. It appeared we had interrupted Steven’s drug use,” the Payne County sheriff’s investigator alleged in his affidavit.
“I told Steven his rights per Miranda and asked him what type of drug he had lined up on the desk. I told him that I was concerned for our safety and wanted to make sure we would not come across any Fentanyl. He told me that the lines of drugs were Dilaudid, which is a brand name for Hydromorphone, an opioid narcotic analgesic that is more potent than morphine,” Myers alleged in his affidavit.
“During the search warrant, we seized a cornucopia of illegal drugs from inside of Steven’s residence. We found evidence of drug distribution to include blank USPS parcel packages, scales and baggies. We found a loaded Husqvarna brand .380 caliber pistol in a cabinet next to Steven’s bed. I also found a additional loaded magazine that belongs to the pistol in the center console of Steven’s Subaru. Upon running the serial number through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), I learned the pistol had been reported stolen in Texas,” Myers alleged in his affidavit.
“We located several baggies containing white pressed alien pills and triangular gel tabs that Steven had listed on his Telegram as LSD,” with a total weight of 25.8 grams — two times the amount required for aggravated trafficking — which tested presumptive positive for the drug, the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
“We also located several baggies containing a crystal substance that Steven had listed on his Telegram as MDMA,” with a total weight of 61.6 grams — also two times the amount required for aggravated trafficking — which tested presumptive positive for the drug, the investigator alleged in his affidavit.
“We found prescription pills to include opioid-based narcotics such as oxycodone, morphine, methadone, buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone. We found prescription benzodiazepine class pills such as alprazolam, diazepam and clonazepam. We found prescription stimulant class pills to include dextroamphetamine, lisdexamfetamine, and methylphenidate.
“We found packages totaling over 80 grams of a crystalline substance that we believe is Ketamine. This appears to be consistent with the photographs listed on Steven’s marketplace. To confirm its identification, it will have to be sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Forensic Laboratory. It appears that Steven had a valid prescription or old prescriptions for some of these drugs including Dextroamphetamine and Lisdexamfetamine,” Myers alleged in his affidavit
“We found pounds of marijuana flower, numerous THC vape-style pens and close to 200 containers of THC rosin oil, also known as wax. Rosin is a THC concentrate derived from marijuana. We found numerous bottles of Codeine syrup; it was also apparent they were imported from other countries. We found a large bag containing what appears to be Psilocybin mushrooms, a psychoactive or hallucinogenic fungi. We also found packages that are labeled as ‘Mushroom Gummies.” They are reported not to contain Psilocybin, Ibotenic Acid or THC.
“We found a pint-sized glass jar that contained a brownish-yellow powder substance that appears to be listed on Steven’s Telegram Shop as DMT,” a strong psychedelic drug that causes intense hallucinations. We found baggies containing an unknown powder, crystalline substance, and viscous substances that must be sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Forensic Laboratory for identification. Some drugs appeared to be imported from other countries because the packaging was in different languages.
“Through the investigation, we learned that the United States Border Patrol had intercepted international packages addressed to Steven Stewart. The intercepted packages contained controlled dangerous substances and were sent to Pennsylvania’s United States Postal Inspectors,” Myers alleged in his affidavit.
