The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department recently arrested a St. Louis man who had at least 73 capsules that contained fentanyl when he was arrested last year near the front of an Imperial subdivision, court records show.
Anthony J. Fried, 40, was arrested on May 23. As of May 28, he was being held on a $75,000 bond at the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro, according to court documents.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Feb. 10 charged Fried with second-degree drug trafficking, a class B felony, resisting arrest, a class E felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class A misdemeanor that carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, court records said.
Due to Fried being a prior offender, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has requested the trafficking charge to be prosecuted as a class A felony, which is punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison, and resisting arrest charge to be prosecuted as a class D felony, which carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison, court documents show. Court records show Fried was found guilty of possession of a controlled substance in October 2016 and January 2023 in Jefferson County.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, deputies were called on May 16, 2024, to the 3600 block of Woodland Ridge due a man who appeared to be sleeping in a stopped vehicle near the subdivision’s entrance. When a deputy arrived, he found Fried in the vehicle and arrested him for two outstanding warrants.
Fried allegedly tried to get away from the deputy by waving his arms and trying to hide his hands under his body after being forced to the ground. The deputy was eventually able to arrest Fried, the report said.
Another deputy searched the vehicle, and he allegedly found at least 73 capsules that were sent to the Missouri State Highway Patrol to be tested. The Highway Patrol reported the contents tested positive for fentanyl, according to the report.
