Source: Office of United States Attorneys
MINNEAPOLIS – A Brainerd man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute tens of thousands of fentanyl pills, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents, on August 1, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a storage unit in Brainerd that belonged to Dazaughn Ellis West, 28. Inside the unit, officers found between 13,000 and 15,000 pressed fentanyl pills, weighing approximately 2.8 pounds. Law enforcement also executed a search warrant at West’s home in Brainerd, where they found an additional 150 grams of fentanyl pills, a loaded semi-automatic pistol, a .22 caliber rifle, and distributable quantities of cocaine.
On February 6, 2025, West was sentenced in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim to 120 months’ imprisonment.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, Brainerd Police Department, and the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Division (LADID).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren O. Roso prosecuted the case.