ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge John A. Ross accepted a plea, today, from Lemartrell Smith. The 26-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to two counts of being in possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, one count of being in possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking crime and one count being a felon in possession of a firearm.
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According to a plea agreement, on or about February 28, 2018, St. Louis County Police received information Smith was selling drugs in the parking lot of a bowling alley and armed with a gun. Officers pulled up to Smith’s vehicle to investigate but could not see inside due to the dark window tint. Smith refused to open the car door, so police smashed the window and removed Smith. Officers noticed from the center console, in plain view, a handgun with an extended magazine. Officers also seized 18 grams of fentanyl.
On or about March 13, 2019, St. Louis County Police learned Smith was selling fentanyl. Using an undercover detective, investigators placed a call to Smith and arranged to buy $60 worth of fentanyl. Smith instructed the undercover detective to meet at a specific location. Smith met the undercover detective, reached into a leather satchel and removed 12 capsules. Smith exchanged the capsules for $60 and drove away.
As officers attempted a traffic stop, Smith ignored all commands to pull over and started to speed away. Smith continued to evade police even after driving over a spike strip. Smith crossed into an opposite lane of traffic at a high rate of speed and crashed into another vehicle. The driver was seriously injured. Officers arrested Smith.
Officers seized the satchel and found a Glock and a loaded pistol with one round inside the chamber. Officers searched Smith’s vehicle and seized $2,870 in U.S. currency, another pistol, the $60 used by the undercover detective, five cell phones and 10.34 grams of fentanyl.
Each charge of being in possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute carries a penalty of no more than 20 years in prison and a fine of no more than $1,000,000. The charge of being in possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a penalty of no less than five years in prison and a fine of no more than $250,000. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a penalty of no more than 10 years in prison and a fine of not more than $250,000.
Judge Ross has set sentencing for April 9, 2021.
The St. Louis County Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Paul D'Agrosa is handling the case.
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