U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced two St. Louis residents to lengthy prison terms in early April for their roles in a fentanyl trafficking operation, according to court records released on April 2.
The sentencing highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address the dangers posed by fentanyl distribution and drug-related violence in the community.
Toneisha D. Smith, 27, received a sentence of 155 months after selling fentanyl to undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and nearly striking three DEA task force officers with her vehicle during an investigation. Days earlier, co-defendant Trequan A. Dotson, 25, was sentenced to 210 months for his involvement in the same conspiracy.
Police first encountered Dotson during a domestic dispute at his home on Newport Avenue in August 2023, where they found fentanyl, cash exceeding $10,000, and multiple firearms with large-capacity magazines. Additional drugs and paraphernalia were discovered at an apartment used by Dotson for manufacturing and distributing fentanyl. He later led police on a high-speed chase resulting in further drug seizures.
After being jailed, Dotson instructed another member of the group to supply Smith with fentanyl and taught her how to mix it before sales occurred from March through June of the following year. During searches related to this case—including one on Miami Street—investigators found more drugs and weapons linked to Smith and other co-defendants.
Smith pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy charges involving distribution of fentanyl as well as assaulting or resisting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm tied to drug trafficking crimes. Other members of the group—including Larry C. Hayes III and Marcel Harris—also pleaded guilty or were convicted on related charges; sentences ranged from ten years up to seventeen-and-a-half years.
Special Agent in Charge Michael A. Davis of the DEA St. Louis Division said: “This investigation is a prime example of the dangers DEA personnel face on a daily basis protecting our communities from drug-related violence and the drugs that are poisoning our citizens… We remain relentless in our pursuit of drug traffickers wreaking havoc on the American people, as we work towards a Fentanyl Free America.”
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Voss.
