United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ST. LOUIS – A father and son from St. Louis have pleaded guilty to federal drug charges and admitted trafficking kilograms of cocaine to St. Louis for years.

Gregory Dixson Jr., 53, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and conspiracy to launder money.

Gregory Cornell Dixson III, 32, pleaded guilty Jan. 4 to the same cocaine conspiracy charge as his father.

Both men admitted as part of their guilty pleas that beginning in 2015 or earlier, they conspired with others to bring cocaine to St. Louis. Dixson Jr. acknowledged in his plea that the amount of cocaine attributable to him based upon his conduct and the conduct of others reasonably foreseeable to him is more than 450 kilograms. Dixson III admitted that 50 to 150 kilograms of cocaine could be attributed to him based on his conduct and the conduct of others.

They also admitted a series of drug and money transactions and seizures during the long-term investigation.

In September of 2015, a vehicle that was ultimately delivered to St. Louis was found to have 31 kilograms of cocaine hidden inside. The cocaine was supplied by Omar Pena Vargas, who supplied Dixson Jr. until the cocaine was seized. Both Dixsons drove by the vehicle several days before someone broke in and accessed a hidden area where five kilograms of cocaine had been stored, their pleas say.

In late 2016 or early 2017, Dixson Jr. and/or Dixson III would send couriers to Texas to buy kilograms of cocaine from Miguel Angel Gonzalez, who bought it from Carlos Gonzalez. Dixson Jr. initially bought three kilograms several times a month, but he later purchased as much as eight to 16 kilograms per week, the pleas say.

In August of 2018, Gonzalez was brokering the sale of 75 kilograms of cocaine to Dixson Jr. He was found in a hotel with two bags containing a total of $634,770 in cash, representing a partial payment for the cocaine, the Dixsons’ plea agreements say.

On Oct. 28, 2018, eight kilograms of cocaine bound for St. Louis were seized.

In March of 2020, 23.6 kilograms of a mix of heroin and fentanyl was seized from Ruben Sanchez Blanco. Some of the drugs were intended for St. Louis, Dixon III’s plea says.

In April of 2021, Miguel Gonzalez and Dixson III coordinated a pickup of two kilograms of cocaine.  Later that month, Carlos Gonzalez traveled to St. Louis to pick up drug proceeds and coordinated the delivery of the money by Dixson III with father and son.

In July of 2021, Quintin Deforest Adkins drove to Texas with cash to buy six kilograms of cocaine. That vehicle was seized, and $161,845 was found hidden inside, the pleas say.

Dixson III is scheduled to be sentenced April 3. His father is scheduled to be sentenced April 11. Dixson III’s cocaine conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years, as well as the possibility of a fine up to $10 million. Dixson Jr.’s cocaine conspiracy charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years due to a prior drug trafficking conviction.

Vargas is in federal prison. Miguel Gonzalez, 59, pleaded guilty in November to a charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and 400 grams of fentanyl. Adkins, 63, pleaded guilty in November to the cocaine and fentanyl conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges and is scheduled to be sentenced Feb, 21. Blanco, 46, of El Paso, Texas, was sentenced in June to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and fentanyl. Carlos Gonzalez, 54, is deceased.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

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.