A St. Louis man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison after a federal judge found him responsible for supplying fentanyl that led to a fatal overdose in a detention facility last year.
U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp sentenced Alantae Garner, 31, on Wednesday to 157 months in prison. Garner had previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents, on November 17, 2023, officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department saw Garner in the driver’s seat of a stolen vehicle. When approached by police, he attempted to flee but was detained shortly afterward. Officers discovered a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun in his bag. Garner admitted ownership of both the firearm and the car, telling police he bought the vehicle for $500.
Garner was taken into custody on July 25, 2024, facing federal charges related to firearm possession by a felon. During his sentencing hearing, evidence was presented that while awaiting his first court appearance as a detainee, Garner supplied fentanyl to another person being held at the same facility. The other detainee overdosed inside a holding cell; efforts by Deputy U.S. Marshals to revive him were unsuccessful and he died later at the hospital.
The case was investigated by both the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Christian Goeke.
Authorities stated that this prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative designed to bring together law enforcement agencies at all levels with local communities to address violent crime and gun violence through collaboration and focused strategies (https://www.justice.gov/psn). The Department of Justice strengthened its approach to PSN beginning May 26, 2021 by focusing on building community trust, supporting violence prevention organizations, establishing targeted enforcement priorities and evaluating results.
"The Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results," according to officials.
