ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis man has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to drug and gun crimes.
Carlos D. Bell, Jr. pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl in the Eastern District of Missouri. U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey accepted the plea on March 3, 2022.
The maximum possible penalties provided by law for the crimes to which Bell is pleading guilty are imprisonment of not more than twenty years, a fine of not more than $1,000,000, or both such imprisonment and fine. The Court shall impose a period of supervised release of at least three years.
According to the plea agreement, Bell’s first encounter with law enforcement was on September 8, 2020, when Bell was arrested for outstanding warrants by members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. A subsequent search of Bell’s vehicle revealed a loaded .40 caliber pistol with a large capacity magazine.
On October 3, 2020, Bell was stopped by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department after violating a stop sign. Deputies located a clear plastic baggy with 196 capsules filled with white powder during this encounter with Bell. The substance was later determined to be fentanyl.
After Bell was federally indicted in November 2020 for the conduct noted above, SLMPD detectives conducted surveillance to arrest Bell on the warrant. Detectives saw Bell conduct a hand-to-hand transaction in front of his residence. Bell was confronted and arrested without incident. A search of the home revealed a Glock pistol with a large-capacity magazine, a Davis Industries pistol, and 24 capsules containing fentanyl. Police also found plates and grinders with drug residue, empty capsules, and two loaded firearm magazines with ammunition in the kitchen.
The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Bluestone.
Bell’s sentencing is set for June 8, 2022. He faces a maximum of twenty years in prison, a fine of up to $1,000,000, or both, as well as a period of supervised release of at least three years.
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- Nevada Man Sentenced for Firearms Possession as a Felon, Illinois, … · Maryland
- Cevone Weeden, Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking, Missouri 2020 · District of Columbia
- Floyd Barber, Drug Trafficking and Weapons Charges, Missouri 2023 · District of Columbia
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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