United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ST. LOUIS - A man from St. Louis County on Tuesday admitted selling roughly a  pound of methamphetamine per week and now faces up to 20 years in prison.

Justin Vernon Neilsen, 38, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey to one felony count of distribution of methamphetamine. He admitted that during an investigation of him by the Drug Enforcement Administration, investigators bought 166 grams of methamphetamine from him while he was armed with a handgun.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined the investigation, and they learned that Neilsen had three storage units in St. Louis. During a court-authorized search of those units, investigators found three rifles, a Kevlar vest, high-capacity magazines, military-style ammunition cans and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Neilsen was arrested at his home with the help of an ATF K-9. They found 447 grams of methamphetamine and a shotgun. Neilsen told investigators that he sold about one pound of methamphetamine per week, his plea agreement says.

Neilsen is set to be sentenced Feb. 22 and faces up to 20 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the St. Charles County (Mo.) Regional Drug Task Force.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.