Springfield man sentenced to 20 years for drug trafficking, illegal guns

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Springfield man found guilty of drug trafficking and possessing illegal firearms earlier this year was sentenced in federal court Tuesday.

A U.S. District Court judge sentenced 35-year-old Darrell L. Smith to 20 years in prison for playing a role in distributing an analogue form of fentanyl and illegally possessing eight firearms.

Smith was convicted on Jan. 11 following a jury trial. Co-defendant Eugene C. Sanders, 51, pleaded guilty and was sentenced last year to three years in prison.

According to the Department of Justice, law enforcement searched Smith’s home in August 2019, where they seized a large plastic bag with valeryl fentanyl — a fentanyl analogue — as well as several smaller bags of valeryl fentanyl, body armor and several loaded firearms. Officers also found 69 individually packaged bags of fentanyl at Saunders’ residence.

During the trial, it was revealed that Smith recruited his infant daughter’s mother for the operation and filmed a video of her bagging up fentanyl for distribution. Smith said he filmed her so he could use the video as leverage in a custody dispute.

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