A St. Louis man, Christopher Glen Rhodes, 47, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for drug and gun offenses. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday.
Rhodes was convicted in June of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, two counts of distribution of a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
During the trial, evidence indicated that Rhodes supplied methamphetamine to his co-defendant Demetrius A. Ransom. Ransom sold methamphetamine to a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on two occasions in late 2022. The confidential source reported previous purchases of both methamphetamine and fentanyl from Ransom. When unable to provide enough methamphetamine for another sale, Ransom offered fentanyl as an alternative. According to court documents, Rhodes and Ransom had been selling drugs together for nearly 25 years.
Following these sales, investigators obtained approval to search Rhodes’ residence on West Florissant Avenue. On December 19, 2022, they observed Rhodes leaving his home and attempted to stop him; however, he drove away when asked to exit his vehicle. Inside the residence, authorities found approximately 2.7 kilograms of methamphetamine, 3.8 kilograms of fentanyl, nearly one kilogram of cocaine and over 100 grams of cocaine base. They also recovered $21,000 in cash, a loaded handgun and drug paraphernalia.
Rhodes is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior felony convictions. In 2016, his previous sentence for possession with intent to distribute cocaine base was commuted so it would expire in 2018; he later requested early termination from supervised release citing personal reform.
Ransom pleaded guilty earlier this year and received a sentence of 15 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
The DEA led the investigation into the case while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torrie J. Schneider and Don Boyce prosecuted it.
