Missouri: Man Charged with Federal Drug and Firearm Crimes

Each weekday, the Department of Justice will highlight a case that has resulted from Operation Legend. Today’s case is out of the Eastern District of Missouri. Operation Legend launched in St. Louis on Aug. 6, 2020, in response to the city facing increased homicide and non-fatal shooting rates.

United States vs. Troy Jackson

“The goal of Operation Legend is to take violent criminals off the streets so long term, community-wide efforts to make St. Louis a safer place can take hold,” said U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen for the Eastern District of Missouri. “Troy Jackson is one of approximately 370 arrested so far. Many more arrests and charges will follow.”

Troy Jackson, 28, was indicted on Aug. 9, 2020, with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute the deadly opioid fentanyl, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to charging documents, Jackson was wanted for first-degree murder and armed criminal action related to a homicide in June 2020; wanted for second and third degree assault arising from a separate incident; and on July 2, 2020, a felony arrest warrant was issued for Jackson for violating his parole stemming from a 2013 conviction for burglary.

It is alleged that an investigation into Jackson led investigators to a hotel in St. Louis on Aug. 9, 2020. Law enforcement officers, working with the U.S. Marshals Service, found Jackson at the hotel in a room holding the magazine of a Mossberg 9mm pistol, which was located nearby in a plain view on a table. While in the hotel room, law enforcement seized approximately five grams of fentanyl and drug paraphernalia, as well as the pistol.

Because of a previous felony conviction punishable by more than one year in prison, Jackson is prohibited from possessing firearms.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Background on Operation Legend
President Trump promised to assist America’s cities that have been plagued by violence. In July, Attorney General William P. Barr announced the launch of Operation Legend, a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative across all federal law enforcement agencies working in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight violent crime in cities across America that were experiencing an uptick in violence. Operation Legend is named after four-year-old LeGend Taliferro, who was shot and killed on June 29th in Kansas City, Missouri, while asleep in his home.

Operation Legend was launched in Kansas City, Mo., on July 8, 2020, and expanded to Chicago and Albuquerque on July 22, 2020, to Cleveland, Detroit, and Milwaukee on July 29, 2020, to St. Louis and Memphis on Aug. 6, 2020, and to Indianapolis on Aug. 14, 2020. As part of Operation Legend, Attorney General Barr has directed federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, DEA and ATF to surge resources to these cities to help state and local officials fighting violent crime. The Department of Homeland Security is also contributing agents to these efforts in St. Louis. Since its inception, Operation Legend has yielded more than 2000 local, state, and federal arrests, with approximately 476 defendants charged with federal crimes.   back...