Demond Benard McDaniels Jr., a 26-year-old from St. Charles, Missouri, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison Tuesday for orchestrating a high-stakes plot to flood the St. Louis area with 100 pounds of methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp handed down the sentence after McDaniels pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute meth.
The operation unraveled in October 2020 when a Geary County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over a van in Kansas. Inside, two duffle bags held nearly 100 pounds of meth en route from Colorado to McDaniels. The Drug Enforcement Administration stepped in, setting up a controlled delivery that led straight to the suspects.
McDaniels had arranged for Dawuane Lamont Rhodes Jr., 25, of St. Louis, to retrieve the drugs and pay $15,005 in cash at a garage in University City. Rhodes showed up—armed with an assault-style weapon and a pistol—and was arrested on the spot. When told Rhodes failed to appear, McDaniels arrived minutes later, only to be taken into custody with $6,930 in cash and jewelry.
A search of McDaniels’ home uncovered a deeper stash: $93,820 in cash and another pistol. Combined with the money seized from Rhodes, law enforcement recovered over $155,000 in illicit funds tied to the operation.
Both men pleaded guilty in November to one count of felony conspiracy. As part of their plea, they agreed to forfeit more than $155,000, a 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat, a 2015 Mercedes Sprinter van, and a second 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat. Rhodes is scheduled for sentencing March 3.
The case was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D’Agrosa. It was part of a broader Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) effort targeting top-tier drug networks threatening the United States through coordinated, intelligence-driven operations.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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