Minneapolis Man Sentenced to More than 12 Years’ Imprisonment for Role in Drug Trafficking and Possession of Illegal Firearms

ST. PAUL - U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen announced today that Denzel Christopher Meeks, 33, was sentenced yesterday, June 23, 2026, to 148 months in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking operation uncovered during a 2023 investigation.

According to court documents, investigators with a drug task force identified Meeks as a wholesale narcotics trafficker operating throughout the Twin Cities and Minnesota. During the fall of 2023, officers observed Meeks accessing multiple stash locations, including two apartments and a storage unit, to store fentanyl, drug proceeds, and firearms.

On October 18, 2023, law enforcement executed multiple court-authorized search warrants. Officers conducted a traffic stop of Meeks' vehicle and discovered a loaded Glock 29 pistol with an extended magazine in a hidden compartment in Meeks' vehicle, along with approximately 25 grams of fentanyl concealed on his person.

Searches of Meeks' stash locations revealed:

• Inside a Minneapolis storage unit, approximately 500 grams of fentanyl, along with two Glock pistols equipped with "switch" devices-which enabled the pistols to function as fully-automatic machineguns-and extended magazines, and more than $32,000 in cash drug proceeds.

• In a Minneapolis apartment, approximately 4,500 fentanyl pills weighing approximately 370 grams, drug packaging materials, and digital scales.

• Over $48,000 in cash drug proceeds inside an apartment in St. Louis Park.

In total, Meeks admitted to possessing between 1,200 and 4,000 grams of fentanyl with the intent to distribute it, and that he possessed several firearms in furtherance of his drug activity. In the government's sentencing position, the United States argued that "Meeks was not a small-time or sporadic drug distributer," and noted that the "volume of cash found at locations he controlled, more than $80,000, demonstrates the scope and profitability of Meeks' drug trafficking enterprise."

"Fentanyl continues to take lives across Minnesota, and those who choose to traffic this lethal drug while armed with illegal firearms will meet justice," said U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. "This sentence is necessary to protect the public and to send a clear message that fentanyl trafficking will not be tolerated."

"The deadly fentanyl Denzel Meeks trafficked around the Twin Cities put our community members at risk," said Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie. "Fentanyl is lethal in extremely small amounts and each dose removed by law enforcement, without a doubt, saved lives. Meeks peddled poison in our communities and for that, he now faces several years in a federal prison with no opportunity at parole."

"The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office West Metro Drug Task Force, which operates with funding provided by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), played a critical role in this investigation, identifying Meeks as a suspected narcotics trafficker and executing search warrants that led to the seizure of fentanyl powder, cocaine, thousands of fentanyl pills, and illegally possessed firearms. We are grateful for the work of the U.S. Attorney's Office whose efforts helped bring this case to a successful prosecution. This sends a clear message that those who traffic dangerous drugs and endanger our communities will be held accountable for their actions," said Dawanna S. Witt, Sheriff of Hennepin County.

Meeks pleaded guilty on November 3, 2025, to one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

Sentencing took place on June 23, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Donovan W. Frank in St. Paul.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Green is prosecuting the case.