Four men from Jefferson County have been indicted on federal charges accusing them of selling guns and drugs in St. Louis, Missouri and Jefferson County this year.
All four were indicted on October 19 in U.S. District Court in St. Louis and the final two defendants appeared in court Friday.
Donye “El Baggo” Peace, 18, was indicted on four counts of distribution of cocaine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes, and one count of unlicensed firearms trafficking. Anneyus D. James, 18, is facing one drug count. Otis M. Patterson, 21, and Theodore Bradford, 18, are facing one drug count and one each of the firearm charges.
Peace advertised illegal drugs on Instagram and met buyers in public areas as his co-defendants stood guard, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen said in court. He also advertised firearms for sale on Instagram, allowing buyers to avoid a background check that would be required during a sale with a licensed firearm dealer, Finlen said.
Undercover agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives bought drugs and guns from Peace and Patterson, with Bradford standing guard with an AR-15 during one sale, a detention motion says.
The drug charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison, and the gun charges carry possible penalties of up to five years.
Charges outlined in an indictment are merely accusations and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finlen is prosecuting the case.
