A high school baseball coach from Illinois has been indicted on multiple drug trafficking charges, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
Demetrius Combs, 33, of Sauget, Illinois, was indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on August 27. The indictment includes one count of distribution of fentanyl, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The alleged offenses occurred between June and August 2023.
Combs was arrested on September 25 and entered a plea of not guilty.
According to a motion seeking pretrial detention, an undercover officer with the St. Louis County Police Department bought fentanyl from Combs once and methamphetamine twice. A court-approved search at Combs’ residence in Bellefontaine Neighbors resulted in officers finding $3,746 in cash and capsules containing fentanyl. Police also found a pistol, three cell phones, and additional capsules containing fentanyl in his car. Further searches uncovered multiple firearms—one modified to be fully automatic—two cell phones, thousands more dollars in cash, a pill press, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and drug paraphernalia at his home.
The indictment notes that “charges set forth in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
The case is being investigated by the St. Louis County Police Department and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke is prosecuting.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” according to officials involved with the operation. “Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.”
