EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal jury convicted a Belleville man Thursday of sending MDMA through the mail with the intent to distribute the drug.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Delon Echols, 31, used the dark web to order MDMA from the Netherlands. Echols had it sent to a woman in Mascoutah, Illinois, who was unaware of the full situation. When she became fully aware of the situation in August 2019, she went to the Mascoutah Police Department.

Police found 911.5 grams of MDMA “concealed in vacuum sealed bags inside whey protein jugs to avoid detection,” the Department of Justice said.

She testified at trial “how Echol’s actions put both her and her family at risk.”

“This case serves as a great example of how a concerned member of the public working with law enforcement can help make our communities safer,” United States Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said. “I join with our law enforcement partners in thanking her for her courage in coming forward. This case also demonstrates yet another way in which drug trafficking is not a victimless crime.”

Echols is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 10, 2023. He faces up to 20 years in prison.