Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Redby man with an extensive criminal record, including two prior federal convictions, was sentenced to 112 months’ imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
“The pipeline of deadly drugs to Red Lake and Indian Country must end,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Redby trafficked in poison, profiting from the addiction and misery of some of our most vulnerable. He will rightly spend nearly a decade in federal prison.”
“Fentanyl kills silently, claiming the lives of unsuspecting victims struggling with substance abuse,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “By introducing fentanyl and methamphetamine into the Red Lake community, Donnell preyed on the vulnerable to enrich himself. This sentence demonstrates that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue and bring to justice those who use drugs to exploit and attack communities.”
According to court documents, in September 2024, Bobby Lee Donnell bought approximately 454 grams of methamphetamine and approximately 100 grams of fentanyl from the Minneapolis area. Donnell then drove back toward the Red Lake Nation, where he intended to distribute the methamphetamine and fentanyl. Fortunately, a Minnesota State Trooper stopped Donnell’s vehicle in Morrison County for a traffic infraction, developed probable cause to search the vehicle, and discovered the methamphetamine, fentanyl, and a digital scale.
According to court documents, Donnell is a repeat offender with a long history of convictions in tribal, state, and federal court. At the time of this offense, Donnell was on supervised release for 2022 federal convictions of possessing obscene material with the intent to sell.
Donnell was sentenced in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud to 112 months imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute. This sentence includes a 12-month concurrent sentence for violating his federal supervised release.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, and the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted the case.