Derek Rockette, a 53-year-old St. Louis trafficker, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking operation and money laundering scheme.
Rockette pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute and possess controlled substances, conspiracy to launder money, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Court records show that Rockette's gambling losses left him owing more than $1.5 million to two money laundering organizations connected to his cocaine supplier.
Investigators said Rockette spent months trying to settle those debts by moving large amounts of cash through multiple transactions, including handing one person $200,000 in May 2018.
However, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Illinois State Police intercepted some of the cash, including $158,720 in July 2018, which was on its way to Chicago.
Additional cash transfers were made, including $59,114 on August 2, 2018, which was quickly deposited into a bank account before being sent to Mexico.
Investigators also uncovered other cash transfers involving confidential sources, including $100,000 given to a DEA confidential source in late August 2018, which was eventually seized by authorities.
The investigation revealed a complex money laundering scheme, with the Chinese organization routing the money through a trade-based laundering scheme that paid credit card bills tied to airline tickets sold in China.
A separate Mexico-based network deposited cash through ATMs before rapidly transferring the funds into Mexico.
Rockette's criminal conduct also included running from officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the DEA on March 25, 2019, and being found with a firearm, which he was legally barred from possessing due to a 2008 federal conviction.
During a traffic stop on March 23, 2021, authorities recovered $2,000 in cash along with 236 grams of cocaine, 3 grams of fentanyl, and 12 grams of a mixture containing heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine.
The case was investigated by the DEA, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the Illinois State Police, with Assistant U.S. Attorney James Delworth handling the prosecution.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a Justice Department initiative focused on transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.
