California man sentenced for shipping meth to East St. Louis in children’s toys

A California man who admitted sending methamphetamine hidden in children’s toys to East St. Louis was sentenced in a southern Illinois federal court.

Jewelion Yarbrough, 34, of Long Beach, California, pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of the drug. He was ordered to serve 100 months in federal prison with an additional three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, confidential sources working with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives identified Yarbrough as a meth distributor in 2019. Undercover agents arranged three controlled drug purchases from Yarbrough, totaling more than 100 grams of meth.

The first two packages arrived in the metro-east hidden in toys intended for children. The third came in a kitchen appliance box, the court records state.

Law enforcement officials were able to further connect Yarbrough to the shipments through fingerprints both on the drugs and the packaging.

“The defendant tried to elude detection by mailing methamphetamine inside of children’s toys and a small appliance box, which could have easily landed in the wrong hands if mistakenly delivered to an incorrect address,” said Rachelle Aud Crowe, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois. “I’m grateful to the agents who worked this case and apprehended this criminal.”

The investigation was conducted by ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Trippi prosecuted the case.

This story was originally published July 24, 2023 at 3:54 PM.