Royce Spann, 28, of St. Louis, Missouri, was sentenced in federal court on Dec. 16, 2013, to 97 months’ in prison, 5 years’ supervised release after his imprisonment, and a $100 special assessment, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Stephen R. Wigginton, announced today.
Spann had previously pled guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin, on August 6, 2013.
United States Attorney Stephen Wigginton commented that, “I am proud that we were able to get Spann off the streets. Heroin is the most dangerous drug in the world. These severe federal prison sentences should put drug dealers on notice that they peddle heroin at their own risk, and those risks are considerable. The prosecution and sentencing of Royce Spann is part of our ongoing anti-heroin initiative."
According to public documents filed with the Court, Spann was riding an Amtrak passenger train from Chicago, Illinois, on March 27, 2013 with large amounts of heroin. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents confronted Spann at the St. Louis, Missouri train station where Spann dropped his bag and ran away on foot. Inside the bag, DEA agents found over $10,000 in cash and over three-quarters of a kilogram of heroin.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration in the Southern District of Illinois and was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jungmin Lee.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
