BENTON – The U.S. State's Attorney's Office announced on Monday that Martin Cooper, 31, of East St. Louis, Illinois, was sentenced to 210 months in prison on Thursday, April 7, 2022, for his role in a Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Money Laundering.
The offenses occurred in St. Clair County and throughout the Southern District of Illinois. Cooper pleaded guilty to both charges in October 2021. The United States Postal Inspection Service initiated an investigation in January 2019, after noticing numerous suspicious packages being sent to and from addresses in East St. Louis, Illinois, and Phoenix, Arizona.
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During the investigation, agents learned that Jose Angulo shipped packages containing methamphetamine to the East St. Louis area to Martin Cooper. According to court documents, Cooper admitted to receiving narcotics from Jose and Steven Angulo in 2019 and acknowledged a package containing over two kilograms of methamphetamine destined for an address in East St. Louis was for him. Cooper also admitted to transferring money to the Angulos via Walmart, and by mailing currency and money orders to them.
Jose Angulo was sentenced on March 24, 2022, to 30 years in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Money Laundering, and Distribution of Methamphetamine. The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Reppert.
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