EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal judge has sentenced an East St. Louis man for a drug bust that stemmed from a child abduction.

Mario A. Foster was sentenced to 13 years in prison over criminal charges for possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

According to federal court documents, authorities stopped Foster on an undisclosed date after he was linked to a parental abduction. Investigators say a three-month-old child was sitting in a removable car seat on top of baggies of fentanyl and cocaine.

“Fentanyl’s deadliness is no secret,” said United States Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “It is
unfathomable that this defendant selfishly chose to place an infant in jeopardy in an apparent effort
to conceal his crimes. His 13-year prison sentence is well-deserved.”

After completing his prison term, Foster will spend three years on supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $200 in special assessments and a $500 fine.

The United States Marshal Service and the Belleville Police Department investigated the case.