A Jefferson City, Mo., man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally possessing over a pound of heroin and fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
Tremaine Davol Bell, 43, received a 15-year sentence in federal prison without the possibility of parole. U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough sentenced Bell as a career criminal due to his previous felony convictions.
Bell had pleaded guilty on Jan. 18, 2024, to one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.
Investigators first received information in October 2022 that Bell was using a storage unit in Jefferson City to store a significant quantity of heroin. On Oct. 31, 2022, Bell was observed leaving the storage facility in the morning, driving a Dodge Avenger. A Jefferson City police officer attempted a traffic stop, but Bell quickly pulled into a gas station and fled on foot. After a short pursuit, Bell was apprehended on Christy Drive.
During a search of Bell, officers found $1,210 in cash, mostly in $20 bills. A police dog alerted officers to Bell’s vehicle, where they found a marijuana blunt and a Glock 9mm handgun with ammunition.
A subsequent search of Bell’s storage unit uncovered approximately 556.17 grams of a mixture containing heroin, fentanyl, and Tramadol. Officers also discovered three additional handguns, two of which were reported stolen, and $29,988 in cash. Logs from the storage facility showed that Bell accessed the unit multiple times each week, and sometimes several times per day, during October 2022.
Bell has previous felony convictions for distributing a controlled substance and a conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron M. Maness and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jefferson City Police Department, the Cole County Sheriff’s Department, and the MUSTANG Drug Task Force.
