A 54-year-old convicted felon from Georgia is facing federal drug trafficking charges after investigators found almost 53 kilograms of cocaine and two pistols inside a suburban St. Louis home, federal authorities reported Monday.
Chad E. “J-Bo” Brown was charged in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with one count of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute more than ten kilograms. He made his first court appearance on Monday following his arrest late last week.
According to a criminal complaint and accompanying affidavit, the Drug Enforcement Administration got information on August 13 about a large cocaine shipment arriving in the St. Louis region.
Federal agents tracked the cargo to a home in St. Louis County and identified Brown as the key suspect in the property’s usage as a narcotics stash house.
The next day, August 14, federal officials carried out a court-authorized search warrant at the residence. Agents discovered around 49 kilograms of cocaine wrapped in duffel bags hidden in a bedroom closet.
Investigators seized an additional four kilograms of cocaine from the kitchen area, bringing the total weight of the narcotics to approximately 53 kilograms (117 pounds). Agents also discovered two weapons in a bedroom during the sweep.
The DEA is still investigating the case, which sprang from a St. Louis Gateway Strike Force operation. Jim Delworth, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, is managing the prosecution.
Under federal law, the charges outlined in the criminal complaint are official accusations, and Brown is assumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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