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Press Release

Judge sentences armed St. Louis drug dealer for possessing and intending to distribute cocaine, heroin and fentanyl

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Missouri

ST. LOUIS, MO – United States District Judge Catherine D. Perry sentenced Melvin A. Willis to 120 months in prison today. The 50-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to three counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. 

On July 12, 2018, members of the St. Louis County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force arrested Willis on an outstanding warrant. Willis had, in his pocket, a bag with several individually wrapped chunks of crack cocaine, a phone and $1,672 in cash.

That same day, officers conducted a search warrant at a home in the city of St. Louis that Willis shared with his girlfriend. In the master bedroom, officers found a plastic bag with several clear capsules containing a brown powder along with a plastic bag containing a black tar substance, a bag with an off-white powdery substance, Xanax, 9mm ammunition, a loaded 9mm High Point Rifle and a magazine loaded with five rounds ammunition.

In a second bedroom, officers found a Ruger, a semi-auto-automatic rifle, a plastic back with multiple empty clear capsule and a black grinder with a powder residue.  In the kitchen, officers found a shoebox with a .22 caliber Sierra Six shot revolver with 41 live rounds of ammunition.

Willis possessed 6.92 grams of a substance containing fentanyl and heroin, .12 grams of heroin and .77 grams of marijuana.

The St. Louis County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force and FBI investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Paul D’Agrosa is handling the case.

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Contact

Venton Blandin
venton.blandin@usdoj.gov
314-539-6805

Updated November 12, 2020