EAST ST. LOUIS – U.S. Attorney Rachel Aud Crowe announced today that a U.S. District judge sentenced an East St. Louis man to spend 16 years in federal prison on drug distribution and firearm charges.
Mosezell Jones, 43, pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.
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“Illicit drugs and firearms result in fear and destruction to a neighborhood, and families in East St. Louis are better off with one less criminal infecting the community,” said Aud Crowe. “I applaud the officers for apprehending this defendant.”
“Illinois State Police special agents are committed to seeking out and holding accountable those individuals pushing life-destroying meth into our communities,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. According to court documents, undercover agents with the Metropolitan Enforcement Group of Southern Illinois of ISP conducted several controlled buys of a total of approximately 25 grams of methamphetamine from Jones at his home in East St. Louis in June 2021.
Following the operation, officers executed a search warrant on Jones’s home and detained him. From the search, officers recovered approximately 140 grams of methamphetamine, an AK-47-style rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun, a revolver, ammunition and drug paraphernalia.
Due to prior felony convictions, Jones is unable to legally possess firearms. During the investigation, officers discovered Jones was using a pill press machine to disguise methamphetamine, an addictive and deadly stimulant, as multi-colored tablets that appeared similar to candy or vitamins. ISP led the investigation with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
