Seven Defendants Sentenced for Trafficking Thousands of Fentanyl Pills into Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS - Seven defendants have been sentenced in United States District Court for drug-trafficking charges, announced U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen.

According to court documents, Latre Lamont Anderson (28), Khianna Rose Clark-Strong (23), Jacquez O'Neal Fondern (22), Rozell Antonio Grainger (27), Issac Oneal Maiden (32), Olivia Mae Erin Martineau-Johns (21), and Jeremy James Nelson-Caban, Jr. (22) were members of a drug-trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills throughout Minnesota, including the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation.

Between approximately the summer of 2022 and the summer of 2023, Anderson, Grainger, and Maiden frequently traveled from Minneapolis to Phoenix, Arizona, where they would obtain multi-pound quantities of fentanyl, which they would then mail to various addresses in the Twin Cities area, often concealing thousands of fentanyl pills in toys or household items. They would travel back to Minneapolis, and then distribute the fentanyl through various drug-traffickers, including Martineau-Johns. Martineau-Johns also obtained fentanyl for distribution from Nelson-Caban and Fondern, and Clark-Strong assisted Martineau-Johns with distributing the fentanyl. The investigation resulted in the seizures of approximately 200,000 fentanyl pills (over 14 kilograms of fentanyl), four firearms (some with high-capacity magazines and/or switches), and thousands of dollars of cash.

"As a direct result of this investigation, DEA and our law enforcement partners across the region prevented thousands of deadly doses of fentanyl from hitting the streets," Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie said. "If these deadly counterfeit pills had spread into our Minnesota communities, lives would have been lost and families broken. Our agency remains committed to disrupting the fentanyl supply chain and our enforcement efforts will not let up until the entire global distribution network has been dismantled and brought to justice."

"This [drug-trafficking] organization pumped significant quantities of dangerous narcotics into Minnesota communities and fueled violence in the process," said Joseph Persails, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the ATF St. Paul Field Division. "ATF special agents and our task force officers, working alongside federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, committed months of work to dismantling this network and stopping the damage it was causing. These sentences hold the defendants accountable and send a clear message that those who profit from addiction and violence will face consequences."

"Cases like these run deep into our neighborhoods and affect all those who live, visit and work in Saint Paul. We're now able to hold these people accountable for their actions, thanks to the joint effort with our long-standing partnerships with the ATF, DEA, USPIS, and local law enforcement agencies. We're proud of this investigation and of all those involved in this case," said Saint Paul Police Chief Axel Henry.

The following sentences were imposed by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Davis over the prior several weeks:

• Latre Lamont Anderson, of Minneapolis, was sentence to 156 months followed by 5 years of supervised release for possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.
• Issac Oneal Maiden, of Saint Paul, was sentence to 156 months followed by 3 years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
• Rozell Antonio Grainger, of St. Paul, was sentence to 120 months followed by 5 years of supervised release.
• Jeremy James Nelson-Caban, Jr., of Duluth, was sentenced to 36 months followed by 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
• Olivia Mae Erin Martineau-Johns, of Cloquet, was sentenced to 9 months followed by 2 years of supervised release for violating her condition(s) of supervised release.
• Jacquez O'Neal Fondern, of Duluth, was sentence to time served followed by 3 years of supervised release for distribution of fentanyl.
• Khianna Rose Clark-Strong, of Duluth, was sentenced to time served followed by supervised release until October 23, 2027, for violating her condition(s) of supervised release.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspector's Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Saint Paul Police Department, and other state and local law enforcement counterparts in northern Minnesota.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Hollenhorst prosecuted the case.