ST. LOUIS – In a grim reminder of the devastating toll of jailhouse narcotics, two Missouri men have admitted conspiring to smuggle deadly fentanyl into the St. Francois County Jail, resulting in the overdose death of a cellmate.
Garry W. Triplett, 37, of Bonne Terre, Missouri, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death and one count of distributing of controlled substances. Triplett admitted providing 3 grams of both fentanyl and meth to the intermediary, and Noll admitted providing these controlled substances to his cellmate.
Triplett, a 37-year-old resident of Bonne Terre, Missouri, joined Timothy L. Noll, 35, of Park Hills, Missouri, in admitting to the heinous crime. Noll pleaded guilty on May 22 to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances resulting in death and one count of distribution of controlled substances resulting in death.
The scheme began on July 27, 2021, when Noll arrived at the jail and immediately set out to find someone to smuggle drugs into the facility. After finding an intermediary, Noll instructed the intermediary to get the drugs from Triplett. This initial distribution was captured on a video call, where Noll advised the intermediary on how to conceal the drugs in a bible.
On August 1, an intermediary dropped off the bible at the jail. The next morning, Noll was being transferred to state prison. When he discovered that he couldn’t bring the bible with him, he had staff give it to his cellmate, who died August 4 of mixed drug intoxication. The victim had 19 ng/ml of fentanyl in his bloodstream, a toxic level that can be fatal, especially when combined with methamphetamine.
The discovery of a clear plastic baggie with methamphetamine residue and a King James Bible with a detached spine on a shelf in the cellmate’s cell served as grim proof of the duo’s crime. Both Noll and Triplett acknowledged that these controlled substances caused the cellmate’s death.
Noll is scheduled to be sentenced in August, while Triplett faces sentencing in September. The death resulting charge carries a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, with a maximum penalty of life and a $10 million fine. The case was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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