A St. Louis city firefighter is off the job and on forced administrative leave after a federal grand jury indicted him on charges that he dealt methamphetamine and fentanyl. The department sidelined the employee while the case works its way through federal court.
Indictment details
According to First Alert 4, the firefighter is identified in court records as Shewan Martin, with the nickname “Stank” listed in the documents. A federal grand jury indicted Martin in April on counts accusing him of knowingly distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The alleged activity outlined in the indictment spans from June 2023 through January 2024, according to the station’s review of the court filings. Those same records also show Martin faces a separate DWI charge from July 2025. City employment records cited by the outlet indicate Martin was hired in July 2024, and his attorney has entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
Department response
In a written statement to First Alert 4, the St. Louis Fire Department said, “The employee has been placed on forced administrative leave pending the outcome of the legal process and any related administrative review.”
The department told the outlet that Martin’s leave began May 20 and said it had nothing further to add. According to the report, Martin’s attorney also declined to comment beyond confirming the not-guilty plea.
Broader context
The case lands amid a steady drumbeat of fentanyl- and meth-related prosecutions in the St. Louis region, as federal authorities continue to zero in on illicit opioids and related public-safety risks. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri recently highlighted a June 18 prosecution tied to a fentanyl exposure that required life-saving measures for a toddler, underscoring how federal agents and prosecutors are prioritizing these investigations locally.
The St. Louis Fire Department, which lists its headquarters on its website at St. Louis Fire Department at 1421 N. Jefferson Ave, has said it will follow its policies as the legal case unfolds.
For now, Martin remains off duty while the federal charges and any internal review move ahead. Cases at this level typically take months to work through indictments, arraignments and potential trials, and we will continue to track court filings and official statements as new information emerges.
