United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ST. LOUIS – A man from Lake St. Louis, Missouri, on Monday admitted laundering money for methamphetamine dealers operating in the St. Louis area. Melvin Hayes, 66, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to misprision of a felony. Hayes admitted working on behalf of Demond Bernard McDaniels...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A New Jersey man admitted guilt in a U.S. District courtroom in southern Illinois Tuesday to acting as a middleman between an India-based pharmaceutical distribution company and customers in the United States. Moises A. Sanabria, 32, of Bloomfield, New Jersey, pled guilty to one count...

ST. LOUIS – More than two dozen people were arrested this week in connection with charges including drug trafficking and financial crimes, U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said Thursday. The arrests by the U.S. Marshals, federal agents and local police follow a series of grand jury indictments. Thirty-four people have...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A U.S. District judge sentenced a California man to 21 year and 10 months in prison after he admitted to leading a drug conspiracy ring targeting communities in southern Illinois. Thomas Hines, 33, of Los Angeles, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute...

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Kansas City returned an indictment charging multiple people for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine within the state of Kansas and elsewhere between February 2020 and July 2023. According to court documents, Jose Roman, 43, Marcos Valencia Jr...

BENTON, Ill. – A U.S. District judge sentenced the final defendant of five total co-conspirators for his involvement in a large-scale methamphetamine operation in southern Illinois. Robert Smith, 42, of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison. Smith pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A U.S. District Court judge sentenced an East St. Louis man to 16 years and six months in prison after he pled guilty to several drug charges for his involvement in a national trafficking ring as the Metro East St. Louis leader. Jeffrey Taylor, 40...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Two men have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine in the Springfield, Mo., area. Christian Roman, 39, of Springfield, and Nathan Bay, 49, of Bois D’Arc, Mo., were sentenced in separate hearings before U.S. District Judge...

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A St. Louis man was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in prison after admitting to his involvement in a methamphetamine operation in southern Illinois. Terrence Thompson, 35, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. According to court records, Thompson...