A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to a decade behind bars for his role in the drug trade, dealing in dangerous substances like fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger announced. Convicted felon Andre Garner, 42, is facing 120 months in prison followed, by a stringent five-year supervisory release for his crimes. Garner's residence in South Minneapolis was the site of a significant drug bust that has now led to his sentencing, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota.

Law enforcement found nearly 800 grams of fentanyl, along with over 1,000 grams of cocaine, two firearms, and a sum of $9,400 in cash stashed in a van registered to Garner during their operation on January 24, 2023. In court documents, Garner admitted that everything found by the officers belonged to him, a confession he reiterated as part of his guilty plea. "He told law enforcement that anything law enforcement found was his, including the money and the van," as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota.

On December 18, 2023, Garner pleaded guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. Judge Jerry W. Blackwell of the U.S. District Court doled out the sentence today, marking an end to Garner's immediate legal battles but opening, a long road to redemption post-incarceration.

The joint investigation that led to Garner’s arrest, and subsequent sentencing was carried out by the stalwarts of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hillary A. Taylor and William C. Mattessich led the charge on the prosecution end, ensuring Garner’s activities were halted and justice, served. The crackdown on fentanyl distribution remains a high priority for law enforcement, in the face of a sweeping opioid epidemic.