St. Louis man sentenced to six years in prison for drug and gun crimes

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey on Thursday sentenced a St. Louis man caught three times with drugs or guns, or both, to six years in prison.

Carlos D. Bell Jr. pleaded guilty in March to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

Bell admitted being caught twice with a gun and three times with fentanyl or marijuana in a three-month period starting in September 2020. On Sept. 8, 2020, Bell was arrested for outstanding warrants by members of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, who found marijuana on him and a loaded .40 caliber pistol with a large capacity magazine on the front seat of Bell’s car.

On October 3, 2020, Bell was pulled over by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department after running a stop sign.  Deputies found 196 capsules containing fentanyl.

After Bell was federally indicted in November 2020, St. Louis police detectives conducted surveillance before arresting Bell.  They saw Bell conduct a hand-to-hand transaction in front of his home, and found a Glock pistol with a large-capacity magazine, a second pistol, marijuana and 24 capsules containing fentanyl. Police also found plates and grinders with drug residue, empty capsules, and two loaded firearm magazines with ammunition in the kitchen.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone.