ST CHARLES, Mo. — A Wright City man was sentenced Wednesday for selling drugs at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles that caused three overdoses, one of which resulted in a man's death.
U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey on Wednesday sentenced Ledra A. Craig, 46, to 35 years in prison. Craig was also ordered to pay $8,544 for his victim's funeral, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
A federal jury found Craig guilty in January of a fentanyl conspiracy charge, two counts of distribution of fentanyl causing serious bodily injury, one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and one count of fentanyl distribution for selling to an undercover police officer.
The overdoses happened on Aug. 2, 2020. Craig first sold fentanyl to a man just before 7 a.m. in a casino bathroom, according to court documents and trial evidence. The man collapsed in the lobby a few minutes later and was revived with two doses of Narcan.
Craig then went to the parking garage and sold fentanyl to another man, identified in court documents as "R.P." Craig had approached R.P. and his friend in the casino earlier and offered to sell them cocaine, the attorney's office said.
About 40 minutes later R.P. and his friend were found in a car that had rolled onto someone's lawn. Police responded and discovered that the two men had overdosed. R.P. was blue, pulseless and not breathing. They were able to revive the friend with Narcan but could not revive R.P.
Investigators identified Craig as the man seen in the video with the overdose victims. Later that day, Craig sold fentanyl to an undercover officer, which was recorded on video.
Craig later admitted to investigators that he sold fentanyl at the casino over the weekend and conspired to sell fentanyl that summer. Police found R.P.'s phone at Craig's house, along with fentanyl capsules and residue.
At Wednesday's hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman said that Craig "knew full well" that R.P. did not know he was being sold fentanyl.
"In fact, the defendant knew that the victim thought he was getting cocaine when the defendant knew and understood that R.P. was about to ingest one of the most lethal substances known to man: fentanyl. Despite knowing just how dangerous and deadly fentanyl was, the defendant continued to sell it anyway," Wiseman said.
“We are pleased with the outcome but saddened by the loss of life,” said Captain Jeff Lange, deputy commander of the St. Charles County Regional Drug Task Force, in a statement. “We hope this verdict sends a message to the drug dealers that they will not get away with the taking of lives and we hope the families can find peace with the tragic loss of their loved one. We are proud we were able to play a role in holding Mr. Craig accountable for his actions in the dealing of drugs in our community. “
