Drugs, money laundering land East St. Louis man a long federal prison sentence

A federal judge in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Illinois handed down a 17-year sentence to an East St. Louis man convicted of selling methamphetamine and laundering its proceeds.

Martin Cooper, 31, was sentenced on April 7 for his role in the drug distribution scheme.

After an investigation initiated by the United States Postal Inspection Service in Jan. 2019, agents learned that Jose Angulo shipped packages of meth from Phoenix, Arizone to Cooper in East St. Louis, according to the charging documents.

Cooper admitted to receiving narcotics from Jose and Steven Angulo in 2019, and acknowledged that a package containing two kilograms of methamphetamine was intended for him. Cooper also admitted to transferring money to the Angulos via Walmart, and by mailing cash and money orders to them.

Another accomplice, Jose Angulo, was sentenced on March 24 to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, money laundering, and distribution of meth.

The investigation was conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service, The DEA, and the IRS-Crime Investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura Reppert.