A 25-year-old St. Louis man has pleaded guilty to federal drug and gun charges stemming from an incident in Jefferson County.
Carlos D. Bell Jr. pleaded guilty March 3 in the U.S. Eastern District Court of Missouri to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute it. U.S. District Court Judge Henry E. Autrey set sentencing for June 8, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Bell, who was convicted of at least one prior felony offence, could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, and he could be fined up to $1 million, the report said.
Bell was arrested Oct. 3, 2020, in Jefferson County after he ran a stop sign while driving a BMW with stolen license plates on it. A black handbag was in the car, and Bell told the deputy the bag was his and said, “It’s fancy right?’ When the deputy opened the bag, he found a bag of marijuana, 196 fentanyl capsules and $498. Bell also told the deputy he sold fentanyl “here and there,” the plea agreement said.
St. Louis Police and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Bluestone is handling the case.
Prior to that arrest, Bell was arrested by St. Louis Police on Sept. 8, 2020, for an outstanding warrant as he entered a convenience store on MLK Drive. He was found with marijuana and a loaded .40-caliber Glock 35 pistol, according to the plea agreement.
Bell was arrested for a third time Nov. 25, 2020, after St. Louis Police officers saw him make a hand-to-hand transaction outside a home in the 5600 block of Levernette Avenue. The officers were at the home to arrest Bell on a federal warrant, and when officers searched the home, they found a Glock G17, a Davis Industries pistol, marijuana and 24 capsules containing fentanyl, the agreement said.
Officers also found plates and grinders with drug residue, empty capsules and two loaded firearm magazines. Bell told investigators he planned to sell the fentanyl and marijuana, according to the agreement.