Darrell L. Smith, 34, of Springfield, has been convicted in federal court for his role in a conspiracy to distribute an analog of fentanyl, an opioid drug, and illegally possessing several firearms.
Smith was found guilty at trial of one count of conspiracy to distribute valeryl fentanyl, one count of possessing a fentanyl analog with the intent to distribute and one count of possessing firearms in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.
Co-defendant Eugene C. Saunders, 50, also of Springfield, pleaded guilty to his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy and was sentenced on Aug. 1, 2023, to three years in federal prison without parole.
Law enforcement agents learned in August 2019 that Smith and Saunders were selling “heroin,” later determined to be valeryl fentanyl, together in Springfield, and that Saunders stored the drugs at Smith’s residence. That’s where Smith and Saunders often packaged “heroin” before selling it to buyers.
On Aug. 15, 2019, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Smith’s residence. They seized a large plastic bag that contained valeryl fentanyl and 30 individually packaged sandwich bags of the drug.
In plain view on a table in the living room, near the bags of valeryl fentanyl, officers found a loaded magazine for a 9mm pistol. Officers also found body armor and seven loaded guns in an upstairs bedroom. Three of those guns were located in plain view on a dresser and two shotguns were leaned up against a wall. An eighth firearm was found in a secondary bedroom, where Smith was at the time law enforcement agents entered the house. A Smith & Wesson 9mm semi-automatic pistol was located underneath a couch cushion on a child’s bed.
A jury in the U.S. District Court in Springfield deliberated for less than four hours Jan. 10, before returning guilty verdicts to Judge M. Douglas Harpool, ending a trial that began Jan. 8. Under federal statutes, Smith is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life without parole. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica R. Eatmon and John D. Hatcher. It was investigated by the Springfield Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
