Judge sentences St. Louis man for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl

ST. LOUIS – United States District Judge Stephen R. Clark sentenced Larry Wilkins to 75 months in prison today. The 38-year-old St. Louis, Missouri resident pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Beginning in October 2017, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents conducted an investigation into the distribution of controlled substances, including fentanyl, and identified Wilkins and three co-defendants as distributors. Investigators obtained court authorization to install a federal GPS tracking warrant for a vehicle driven by one of Wilkins’s co-defendants. The tracking device revealed the vehicle repeatedly traveled to a residence in the 24000 block of Sweet Lane in Waynesville, Missouri.

Agents’ observed multiple cars, including the one equipped with a GPS, made brief stops at the residence and departed shortly after, which is commonly associated with narcotics sales.  The court issued a search warrant for this residence on February 14, 2018 during which they seized a home surveillance system, various firearms, cell phones and narcotics and took one of Wilkins’s co-defendants into custody.

A search warrant obtained and executed on the seized home surveillance system revealed Wilkins and a co-defendant were using the home on Sweet Lane to distribute narcotics, including fentanyl, in Waynesville.

In October 2018, investigators learned Wilkins was distributing fentanyl in the parking lot of an apartment complex located in the 10000 block of Sheffingdel Court in in St. Louis. On October 30, 2018, investigators observed Wilkins drive a Cadillac STS Sedan onto the parking lot and park near a dumpster. A person got out of another vehicle and entered the front passenger seat of the Cadillac STS Sedan.

Investigators approached the Cadillac STS Sedan, saw a loaded Remington RP45 semi-automatic pistol between the driver’s seat and center console and forced open the driver’s door of the Cadillac STS Sedan. Wilkins and the passenger were removed from the vehicle and investigators discovered a clear plastic bag sticking out from a vent on the back of the console which contained 69 smaller plastic baggies containing fentanyl.

"Working together with other agencies pays off and helps rid our communities of drugs and illegal possession of firearms," said Pulaski County Sheriff Jimmy Bench. 

“The joint cooperation between local and federal agencies is imperative to the successful apprehension and prosecution of individuals who engage in continuing criminal activity,” said St. Louis County Police Chief Mary Barton.

The FBI, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department and St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Geoffrey Ogden is handling the case.

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