The owner of the now-shuttered Rockstar Burgers bar and restaurant in the West Bottoms is one of 18 defendants facing charges for allegedly taking part in a drug-trafficking conspiracy.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Kansas City said a federal grand jury indicted Brian Douglas Smith and the others for their alleged roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin valued at more than $1.7 million.
The conspiracy allegedly spanned a nearly four-year period from Jan. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2020. All 18 defendants are also charged with conspiracy to launder the proceeds of the alleged drug sales.
The indictment is the latest in a series of woes to befall Smith, who owned the popular burger joint at 1611 Genessee St. He ran it for nearly five years before it closed its doors last year.
Smith is awaiting trial in Platte County on charges of domestic assault and armed criminal action after he allegedly hit his ex-girlfriend in the head with a pistol. He has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in February.
The drug conspiracy indictment comes just three days before Smith's 43rd birthday.
Kansas City police raided Rockstar Burgers, a 24-hour eatery, in early December following Smith’s arrest on the domestic assault charges. The restaurant was housed in a building that also included a dance club called Pole Worx. Smith lived in a loft in the building.
The Kansas City Star reported that a search warrant application for the raid said that a woman reported she had been raped in the loft. No charges, however, have been filed in that case.
