The Twin Cities have seen the conclusion of a significant fentanyl distribution case, with the last of the defendants entering guilty pleas. As unveiled in court documents and announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick, from August 2022 through December 2023, a group was found orchestrating a scheme to distribute the potent opioid throughout Minnesota. Participants in the drug conspiracy included Phyu Win Jame, Amaya Tiffany-Nicole Mims, Da’Shawn Natori Domena, Cornell Montez Chandler, Jr., Robiel Lee Williams, Quijuan Hosea Bankhead, Stardasha Christina Davenport-Mounger, Fo’Tre Devine White, and Shardai Rayshell Allen.
In a sophisticated operation intended to go unnoticed, stuffed animals were used to conceal over 30,000 grams of fentanyl pills and mailed to locations around the Twin Cities, with several defendants making trips to Phoenix to source the drugs. However, law enforcement from Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties launched a joint investigation, eventually capturing six parcels filled with the lethal substance. Sent to various county task forces, the investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, alongside Homeland Security Investigations, played a pivotal role in dismantling the trafficking network.
Throughout the legal proceedings, spanning from August 6, 2024, to March 12, 2025, all parties charged in the conspiracy acknowledged their involvement in the drug ring, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. According to court records, Cornell Montez Chandler, Jr., had already faced judgment, receiving a sentence of over 13 years in federal prison by Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan as of November 14, 2024. The remaining defendants await their sentencing, which will soon be determined.
