ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A St. Louis man has been sentenced to 23 years in federal prison after admitting to killing two people, trying to have a witness killed and for his part in a "large-scale" cocaine trafficking operation in St. Louis.
Maurice Woodson, 34, pleaded guilty in February to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime resulting in death and one count of witness tampering, announced the U.S. Attorney of Eastern Missouri on Thursday. Authorities seized more than $1 million and more than 70 kilograms of cocain during the investigation.
Woodson worked with the Adrian Lemons drug trafficking organization from 2012 to 2016 and killed Byron Earts Sr., 40, in 2013 and Dante Jones, 29, in 2014 for his drug boss – for drugs and cash in return. Lemons was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison last year.
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Woodson tried to hire someone to kill a witness while detained in January 2016 on charges of murder and drug conspiracy. The person he tired to hire was an undercover agent. He used female companions to to arrange meetings and payments to the law enforcement official.
In 2016, federal officials said the drug ring had carried out 17 murders, according to the Associated Press. Officials charged nearly three dozen people and seized guns, more than 70 kilograms of cocaine and more than $1.3 million.
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