U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Melvin Nelson, a convicted felon from St. Louis County, to 10 years in prison on July 20 after Nelson was caught twice with firearms and illegal drugs.
Nelson, 42, pleaded guilty in April to one count each of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of one or more firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. According to court documents, law enforcement officials from the Florissant Police Department, the St. Louis County Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service served an arrest warrant at Nelson’s residence on Sept. 4, 2024. During the search at his home on Gadbury Drive, officers found a handgun, $38,892 in cash, and methamphetamine pills weighing at least 219 grams in his bedroom. Additional items discovered included scales and empty pill capsules in the basement as well as an AR-style pistol and body armor in the garage; bags containing cocaine and fentanyl were located in the backyard.
On August 26, 2025, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed arrest and search warrants at Nelson’s home again. Authorities recovered a rifle and pistol along with at least 500 grams of fentanyl mixture and additional drug paraphernalia.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including local police departments as well as federal authorities such as the U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri investigates federal crimes such as these cases while also enforcing civil rights laws; it serves 49 counties across eastern Missouri using courthouses like Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis under its role within the United States Department of Justice, according to its official website.