EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A federal judge has sentenced a St. Louis man for laundering money in a southern Illinois meth trafficking plot.
Terrence Thompson, 35, will spend the next 19 years and seven months in prison, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. He previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
According to court records, Thompson conspired with others to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine in southern Illinois. He and others utilized various payment methods for meth transactions, including CashApp, cashier’s checks, bank transfers and postal money orders.
The investigation led authorities to a search warrant at Thompson’s home, where law enforcement seized more than 10 kilograms of meth.
“Drug traffickers engage in their illicit activities for one reason: to make money,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Sean Vickers, head of Drug Enforcement Administration operations in southern Illinois. “A critical element in shutting down criminal drug trafficking organizations is making sure they don’t benefit from their illegal business. This nearly 20-year sentence demonstrates that DEA and its local and federal partners are dedicated to putting these criminals out of business.”
Richard Stark, 52, of Hazelwood, Missouri, and Tamara Peoples, 63, of Granite City, Illinois, have previously pled guilty to manufacturing and distribution charges in the scheme, according to the DEA. Stark was sentenced to 24-plus years in prison, while People is expected to be sentenced in March.
The federal indictment also lists Neyisha Anderson, Corey Hendriex, Thomas Hines, Amy Lynch and Terrell Winston for their alleged involvement.
The five others accused face charges ranging from attempt and conspiracy, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and/or manufacturing, distributing, dispensing and possessing a controlled substance.