LeVaughn Neal, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Missouri 2019

ST. LOUIS, MO - A shocking case of methamphetamine trafficking has come to light as LeVaughn Neal, a 35-year-old St. Louis man, has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. This disturbing crime has left the community in shock.

On August 2019, investigators with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) discovered that Neal and a co-defendant were involved in significant methamphetamine distribution in the St. Louis area. The United States Postal Inspection Service was also conducting surveillance of suspicious packages mailed from Arizona to St. Louis at the same time.

On October 17, 2019, postal inspectors intercepted a suspicious package mailed from Scottsdale, Arizona to a vacant home in Jennings, MO. The addressee was not associated with the vacant home. DEA agents conducted surveillance on the vacant house and saw Neal parked in a vehicle near the house. The DEA conducted a controlled delivery of the package and left it on the front porch of the vacant house. Agents then watched Neal get out of a vehicle and pick up the package off the porch.

Agents tried to arrest Neal, but he dropped the package and ran. Agents eventually arrested Neal and executed a search warrant to search the package. Inside the package, agents found zip-lock bags of crystal methamphetamine wrapped in duct tape and a vacuum-sealed bag inside bubble wrap. Neal admitted he chose the vacant address for delivery and the package should contain five pounds of meth. A forensics lab confirmed the package contained 2,217 grams. Neal is actually responsible for between 1.5 kilograms and 4.5 kilograms.

The charge of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine carries a maximum penalty of no more than Life imprisonment and a fine of no more than $10,000,000. Judge Ronnie L. White has set sentencing for January 25, 2021.

Neal's guilty plea is a significant blow to the methamphetamine trafficking ring in the St. Louis area. The DEA investigated this case, and Assistant United States Attorney Paul D'Agrosa is handling the case.

This case serves as a reminder of the severe consequences of methamphetamine trafficking. The community can rest assured that those involved in such crimes will be brought to justice.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edmo/pr/st-louis-man-pleads-guilty-possession-intent-distribute-methamphetamine