A Bemidji man, Patrick Burton Strong, has been handed a six-year prison sentence for crimes including fentanyl trafficking and illegal possession of a machine gun; this follows his guilty plea, as reported by the Office of the U.S. Attorney of Minnesota. Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick announced that after serving his time, Strong would also face three years of supervised release.
The details of Strong's criminal activities have unfolded in court documents—between late March and mid-April 2024, he actively conspired to distribute the lethal opioid fentanyl, meanwhile maintaining possession of an illegal firearm, with a particular journey on March 31, 2024, seeing him acquire a staggering $10,000 worth of fentanyl in Minneapolis as he was accompanied by co-defendants Danielle Diane Goodman and Leticia Jean Sumner both of which were stopped by a Minnesota State Patrol trooper the following day; the trooper, after pulling them over for traffic violations, grew suspicious of their actions which led to the discovery of 100 grams of fentanyl along with a "ghost gun" in Strong’s possession, in an encounter that spiraled into a criminal investigation uncovering even more illicit substances and weaponry.
Searches conducted by law enforcement at Strong and Sumner's apartment added to the weight of evidence, as officers discovered a shotgun and additional methamphetamine; even when behind bars, the pair were caught with fentanyl, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office. "Strong possessed a gun equipped with a switch, an item with no purpose other than killing people," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. "He trafficked in fentanyl—the deadliest illegal drug commonly sold today."
Sentencing for Strong was concluded yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Katherine M. Menendez after his guilty plea last November; meanwhile, co-defendants Goodman and Sumner have also entered guilty pleas for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, their sentencing dates still pending, while it has been unveiled that this case is the fruit of joint investigative efforts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Morrison County Sheriff's Office, and Morrison County Community Corrections with Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Forbes leading the prosecution efforts.
