EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — In 2022, Illinois State Police Troopers stopped a semitrailer on Interstate Highway 70 in Madison County. After searching the trailer, troopers found 2 duffel bags that hid a kilogram of heroin, 2 kilograms of cocaine, 4.5 kilograms of fentanyl, and almost 32 kilograms of meth.
The driver, Ledaniel Russell, was 50 years old when he pleaded guilty to a single count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, fentanyl, meth, and cocaine, a Tuesday statement from the Department of Justice said.
During an interview with investigators, Russell, a resident of Fort Worth, Texas, admitted he planned to deliver the drugs to Michigan after dropping off his legitimate cargo in Indiana.
Russell was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
The head of the DEA investigations in southern Illinois, Joseph Dixon, said freeways are the arteries that bring illegal drugs from Mexican cartel to communities across America.
"DEA, working in lockstep with our partners from the Illinois State Police, will continue to be laser-focused on targeting, disrupting and dismantling the pipelines used to transport deadly drugs so they don’t impact the health and safety of our citizens," Dixon said.
Illinois State Police Director Brenden F. Kelly said ISP troopers are targeting drug traffickers.
"The Illinois State Police is committed to stopping illegal drug traffickers and keeping dangerous drugs from flooding and hurting our communities," Kelly said. "Whether it's a trooper on the road or a special agent investigating, ISP is targeting drug traffickers and will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney's Office to put them behind bars.”
Members of ISP and DEA led the investigation.
