Detroit Man Sentenced for Fentanyl Trafficking in Northern MN

MINNEAPOLIS (WJON News) -- A Detroit man has been sentenced for his role in a fentanyl trafficking operation that targeted the Red Lake Reservation.

The U.S. Attorney General's Office says 34-year-old Scot Watkins Jr. has been sentenced to five years in prison followed by four years of supervised release.

Court records show Watkins planned to distribute fentanyl pills, methamphetamine, and cocaine with co-defendants 32-year-old Douglas McClendon and 41-year-old Christopher Richard in March 2021.

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According to the documents, the men got the drugs from suppliers in Detroit and then traveled to Bemidji to sell them out of several area hotels.

Authorities carried out a search warrant at one of the hotels on March 12th, 2021, and say Watkins and McClendon fled while Richard flushed a large amount of fentanyl down the toilet. Records show the search turned up more than 174 grams of fentanyl, 37 grams of methamphetamine, and other controlled substances.

Watkins pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and other controlled substances back in March.

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Source: Detroit Man Sentenced for Fentanyl Trafficking in Northern MN

Filed Under: Bemidji, crime, drug trafficking, red lake reservation, u.s. attorney's office

Categories: State News