Federal Prison For Man Convicted in MN Stuffed Animal Drug Case

Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News) - A federal judge has sentenced a Minnesota man to more than 13 years in prison for his involvement in a major fentanyl trafficking operation.

The US Attorney for Minnesota says 25-year-old Cornell Montez Chandler Junior conspired with others to bring the highly addictive opioid to Minnesota from Arizona for distribution throughout the state. According to court documents, Chandler Junior admitted that he, and his co-conspirators, concealed the drugs inside stuffed animals that were packaged as birthday gifts and lined the packages with dog treats in an effort to throw off drug-sniffing law enforcement dogs.

Federal prosecutors say the drug-trafficking took place between August 2022 and December of last year. Law enforcement became aware of the activity in early 2023 and officials say a joint investigation by several counties, the US Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security led to the seizure of more than 66 pounds of fentanyl.

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Chandler previously entered a guilty plea in US District Court  to a single count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.