Ferguson Man Sentenced to 93 Months in Prison for Drug Sales

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp on Tuesday sentenced a man from Ferguson, Missouri who sold fentanyl and methamphetamine to undercover St. Louis County police officers to 93 months in prison.

Theodise Reece, 37, has been in custody since his arrest on Aug. 30, 2023, bringing the total he will likely serve for the crime to about nine years.

After receiving several tips in June of 2023 that Reece was selling illegal drugs, the St. Louis County Police Department set up a series of undercover purchases, Reece’s plea agreement says. Reece sold $100 worth of fentanyl on June 14, 2023, then $150 worth of methamphetamine six days later, Reece admitted in his guilty plea.

After making four more undercover purchases and witnessing Reece make another sale, investigators sought a search warrant for Reece’s home. They arrested him during an undercover buy on Aug. 30, 2023, and found a semiautomatic pistol in his car loaded with one chambered round and 18 more in an extended magazine. Inside a satchel slung across his chest, police found nearly 40 grams of fentanyl and 225 grams of meth as well as ecstasy, cocaine base and marijuana. Reece admitted that he sold drugs for a living. Investigators found an AR-style rifle in Reece’s home.

Reece pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in November to three felonies: distribution of fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Drug Enforcement investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nino Przulj prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.