Minnesota man who used stuffed animals to ship fentanyl sentenced to 10 years

A Minnesota drug dealer has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy that used children’s toys to conceal the drugs for shipping, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

Robiel Lee Williams was sentenced to 120 months in prison, followed by five years on supervised release after being found guilty as part of a drug trafficking ring that used stuffed animals to ship fentanyl pills from suppliers in Arizona to the Twin Cities.

Williams, 25, was one of six people indicted last year after law enforcement found over 30,000 grams of fentanyl pills during a joint investigation of the trafficking scheme that took place between August 2022 and December 2023.

“According to court documents, fingerprints belonging to Williams and several co-defendants were found on the seized packages,” says a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota.

Law enforcement in Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties were involved in the joint investigation, which also included the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

“Drug dealers are endlessly creative in finding new ways to smuggle their deadly poison into Minnesota,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Thompson. “Williams and his co-conspirators hid their deadly fentanyl in stuffed animals—literally children’s toys. We should all be appalled. Williams will rightly spend the next decade in federal prison.”

One of Williams’ co-defendants, Cornell Montez Chandler, was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison late last year.

President Donald Trump has taken significant steps to control the U.S. borders and the flow of illicit drugs since taking office, writing in an executive order that the influx “threatens the fabric of our society.”

The Washington Post recently reported that fentanyl seizures at the Mexican border were down 30% for the first half of this fiscal year, compared to last year.

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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota

Crime Watch MN

Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.