Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

St. Louis –Joseph Reed, 21, of St. Louis, was sentenced to 110 months in prison for the crimes of sale of fentanyl, being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Reed appeared today in front of United States District Judge John A. Ross. 

 According to court documents, in October 2018, law enforcement officers began an investigation into the distribution of fentanyl by Reed and his possession and sale of firearms in the St. Louis area.  During the course of the investigation, Reed sold approximately 65 grams of fentanyl to an undercover police officer on six separate occasions.  During two of those sales, Reed also sold a firearm to the undercover officer.  Reed was eventually arrested on November 14, 2018.  At the time of his arrest, Reed was armed with a .40 caliber firearm.  Prior to 2018, Reed had been convicted of a felony crime and was prohibited from possessing a firearm, let alone selling one in connection with drug sales.

Reed pleaded guilty on August 28, 2019 to 10 counts – six counts of fentanyl distribution; three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm; and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime.

This sentence is the result of a joint investigation by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  Assistant United States Thomas Mehan handled the case.

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