A Burnsville man with a history of felonies is headed back to the slammer after a federal court sentenced him to 15 years behind bars for his involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. John Paul Majerus II, 34, was handed down the stiff sentence on Tuesday after pleading guilty last November to charges related to the drug ring he helped orchestrate even from within prison walls, according to the United States Attorney's Office.
Majerus, who was serving time for a previous drug offense, coordinated meth sales to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration officer. Following his release, Majerus continued his illicit trade, funneling narcotics out of a Minneapolis stash house managed by co-conspirator Sara Evenson, 34. When authorities raided Evenson's pad, they hit the motherlode — approximately 30 pounds of meth stashed inside a wall, alongside drug paraphernalia, and a pair of firearms, the feds say.
The case, which also ensnared Evenson who pleaded guilty to a similar charge this February, was the result of a joint operation involving the DEA, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the West Central Minnesota Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Evenson's date with destiny, a.k.a. her sentencing, still looms on the courthouse calendar.
While Majerus's guilt was clear-cut, the path to the courtroom was anything but simple. The investigation into his drug-dealing activities began while he was incarcerated, a time when most would assume one's ability to orchestrate a criminal enterprise would be curtailed if not entirely cut short. Yet, Majerus found a way, spelling out a stark reminder that the tentacles of trafficking can extend far beyond a cell's reach.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren O. Roso, who served as the prosecutor on the case, stated that the sentencing of Majerus was a substantial victory for the communities afflicted by the deluge of methamphetamine flooding their streets. With Evenson's sentencing pending, authorities hope to close yet another chapter in the seemingly unending struggle against drug distribution networks.
