Richard Treis, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Missouri 2020

A St. Louis man has admitted to trying to buy 40 pounds of methamphetamine for $120,000. Richard Treis, 48, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Treis was involved in a deal that was originally negotiated on a cell phone smuggled into prison. In June of 2020, Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso learned that an inmate in the Great Plains Correctional Institution in Hinton, Okla. wanted to purchase a large quantity of methamphetamine, according to Treis’ plea.

Treis called the undercover agent and confirmed that the delivery would happen in Missouri, and both Treis and Mazhar sent pictures of the cash to the agent. On July 29, 2020, Tries and another man, Dennis Dewrock, arrived at a gas station in Pacific, Missouri with a black bag full of cash, the plea agreement says. Agents had brought about 15 pounds of methamphetamine and arrested both Treis and Dewrock after they swapped the cash for the drugs.

Treis is scheduled to be sentenced February 16. As part of his plea, he has agreed to forfeit $128,000 in custody of the Homeland Security Investigations. Mazhar, 41, pleaded guilty in December 2021 to the same methamphetamine conspiracy charge and was sentenced in March to 13 years in prison. He is currently in a high-security prison in Mississippi.

Dewrock, 53, also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to five years in prison. Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ricardo Dixon is prosecuting the case.

Richard Treis, a 48-year-old St. Louis man, admitted to his role in a massive methamphetamine trafficking operation. Treis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The crime occurred in Missouri on July 29, 2020.

In exchange for a guilty plea, Treis agreed to forfeit $128,000 to Homeland Security Investigations. Mazhar, a co-conspirator, was sentenced to 13 years in prison in March 2022. Dewrock, another co-conspirator, received a five-year prison sentence.

Treis is scheduled to be sentenced on February 16. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ricardo Dixon.

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