Woman, 18, pleads guilty to dealing fentanyl at Bay St. Louis hotel
An 18-year-old Bay St. Louis woman faces up to 20 years in jail after she pleaded guilty Monday to federal drug charges.
Emma Kate Stoute pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Gulfport to to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 dosage units of pills containing fentanyl.
The investigation began Aug. 29, when the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration followed up on a written complaint that drug trafficking activity allegedly was occurring at the Motel 6 off U.S. 90 in Bay St. Louis.
This is the same hotel where two Bay St. Louis police officers were shot and killed in December 2022 by a woman staying staying at Motel 6.
A federal grand jury indicted Stoute and four others — Christopher Antonio Fricke, Kolby Zu Simms and Dakari Lamont Sykes, all of Bay St. Louis and Santana Philipe Elzy, of Covington, Louisiana.
Court documents show agents conducted surveillance of the motel and narrowed down the suspected parties and rooms.
The agents saw a red Toyota Camry arrive at the hotel to pick up two of the individuals suspected of selling drugs. Agents followed the vehicle to Louisiana and saw the occupants of the vehicle participate in what appeared to be a drug transaction, court documents said.
Agents followed the vehicle back into Mississippi and conducted a traffic stop, and found the four suspects from Bay St, Louis had over 1,000 of the fetanyl-laced pills. Fricke, the records say, had about 1,000 pills stuffed in a baggie in the waistband of his pants. A body scan of Stoute and found 50 pills hidden in a plastic bag stuffed inside her body cavity.
Authorities searched her cellular device and said messages confirmed that she was trafficking fentanyl pills in the Southern District of Mississippi.
Her sentencing by a federal district judge is scheduled for March 21.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erica Rose is prosecuting the case. U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley of the Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement.
Sun Herald reporter Margaret Baker contributed to this report.
