A St. Louis trafficker who admitted blowing more than $1.5 million in cocaine proceeds through gambling has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after prosecutors said he tried to repay the debt by using international money laundering networks.
Derek Rockette, 53, 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. Prosecutors said he took part in a cocaine trafficking operation from at least 2016 through 2021 while also laundering drug money during a four-year stretch.
Court records showed Rockette’s gambling losses left him owing more than $1.5 million to two money laundering organizations connected to his cocaine supplier. Investigators said he then spent months trying to settle those debts by moving large amounts of cash through multiple transactions.
St. Louis trafficker buried by million-dollar gambling debt
According to investigators, Rockette handed one person $200,000 in May 2018. Two months later, he transferred another $158,720, but the Drug Enforcement Administration and Illinois State Police intercepted that cash while it was headed to Chicago. On Aug. 2, 2018, authorities said he delivered another $59,114, which was quickly deposited into a bank account before being sent to Mexico.
Investigators also described additional cash transfers involving confidential sources. In late August 2018, Rockette gave a DEA confidential source $100,000 that was supposed to be delivered in Chicago. Authorities traced the money to a Chinese money laundering organization and eventually seized $222,300. In October 2018, prosecutors said he provided another $59,800 to a confidential source working with Homeland Security Investigations.
Federal prosecutors said the Chinese organization routed the money through a trade-based laundering scheme that paid credit card bills tied to airline tickets sold in China. They said a separate Mexico-based network deposited cash through ATMs before rapidly transferring the funds into Mexico.
The investigation also uncovered other criminal conduct. On March 25, 2019, Rockette ran from officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the DEA before authorities found him carrying a firearm. Because of a 2008 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana, prosecutors said he was legally barred from possessing firearms.
During a traffic stop on March 23, 2021, authorities recovered about $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, according to prosecutors.
The case was investigated by the DEA, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, and the Illinois State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney James Delworth handled the prosecution. Federal officials said the case was part of Operation Take Back America, a Justice Department initiative focused on transnational criminal organizations and violent crime.
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