Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 13 Years in Prison in Twin Citi...

ST. PAUL, Minn. - A Twin Cities felon has been sentenced to 160 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed fentanyl throughout Minnesota and the surrounding region, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, between August 2022 through December 2023, Cornell Montez Chandler, Jr., 25, conspired with others to distribute fentanyl throughout Minnesota. Chandler frequently flew from the Twin Cities to Phoenix, Arizona, to buy fentanyl from one or more suppliers and ship it through the U.S. Postal Service to addresses in and around the Twin Cities for distribution. He admitted that he and his co-conspirators placed fentanyl pills in plastic bags that were then concealed in stuffed animals; that those packages were disguised as birthday presents; and that conspirators lined the interiors of the packages with dog treats in an attempt to prevent drug-sniffing dogs from alerting to them.

In January and February 2023, law enforcement in Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties became aware of the trafficking and initiated a joint investigation, which resulted in the seizure of six packages containing over 30,000 grams of fentanyl pills.

On June 18, 2024, Chandler pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. He was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court by Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Dakota County Drug Task Force, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner is prosecuting the case.