Ifiok J. Equere, Cocaine Possession, Illinois 2019

East St. Louis, IL - In a shocking turn of events, a St. Louis man has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for attempting to possess a kilogram of cocaine.

Ifiok J. Equere, 54, appeared in federal district court yesterday and was handed down the sentence for attempting to possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Equere had previously pled guilty to the charge in November.

The offense occurred on March 15, 2019. According to court documents, Equere arranged to purchase cocaine from a confidential source working at the direction of law enforcement. He was operating as a middleman for a third-party distributor and agreed to meet the source at a predetermined location in Madison County, Illinois. Equere agreed to pay $27,800 for a kilogram of cocaine.

While en route to make the purchase, Equere and the distributor were pulled over on I-270 in Madison County. Officers searched the car and found $27,800 in the glove compartment. Equere was set to receive $500 as payment for setting up the transaction.

As part of his sentence, Equere was ordered to forfeit his interest in the $27,800 seized from his car and pay a $200 fine. Upon his release from prison, Equere will serve a 4-year term of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the DEA and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel T. Kapsak. The investigation highlighted the dangers of cocaine trafficking and the importance of law enforcement's efforts to combat it.

In related news, the DEA continues to work tirelessly to dismantle cocaine trafficking rings in the region. This case serves as a reminder of the consequences of attempting to possess and distribute cocaine.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/st-louis-man-sentenced-attempting-purchase-cocaine