ST. LOUIS – One of two men convicted of smuggling 100 pounds of methamphetamine to the St. Louis area from Colorado was sentenced Tuesday.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Missouri said Demond McDaniels Jr., 26, pleaded guilty in November 2022 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. His co-conspirator, Dawuane Rhodes Jr., 25, of St. Louis, also pleaded guilty to the same charges.
Prosecutors said McDaniels was detained during a traffic stop in Kansas on Oct. 8, 2020. A sheriff’s deputy found two duffle bags containing approximately 100 pounds of meth.
The Drug Enforcement Administration arranged for a “controlled delivery” of the drugs.
McDaniels made arrangements for Rhodes to pick up and pay for the meth at a University City garage.
Rhodes had $15,005 in cash, an assault-style weapon, and a pistol in his possession at the time of his arrest. Meanwhile, McDaniels had $6,930 in cash and jewelry on him when he was arrested. Investigators later discovered $93,820 in cash and another pistol at McDaniels’ residence.
A U.S. District Court judge sentenced McDaniels to 10 years in federal prison. Rhodes will be sentenced on March 3.
Both McDaniels and Rhodes already agreed to forfeit more than $155,000 in seized cash, a 2016 Dodge Charger Hellcat, a 2015 Mercedes Sprinter van, and a 2015 Dodge Charger Hellcat.