Deontae "Leef" Jackson, 37, has admitted he was part of a sprawling racketeering conspiracy tied to the Minneapolis street gang known as the Lows, pleading guilty earlier this month in federal court. Prosecutors say Jackson acknowledged helping traffic at least 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl as part of the gang’s narcotics operation. He is the first of 14 defendants in the case to enter a plea, and no sentencing date has been set yet. Federal authorities contend his admission links him to a broader pattern of shootings, murders and drug trafficking that investigators have been trying to untangle in Minneapolis.
According to FOX 9, Jackson appeared before Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz and formally admitted to the racketeering conspiracy charge. The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed the plea to the station, which reported that Jackson conceded his role in distributing at least 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl. FOX 9 also noted that the case will return to federal court so a judge can set his sentencing date, a hearing that is likely to draw close attention from both law enforcement and community members tracking the case.
Indictment Describes Killings, Carjackings and Trafficking
The federal indictment, unsealed in October 2024, paints a grim picture of the Lows as a violent criminal enterprise that allegedly conspired to commit murder, attempted murder, carjacking, firearms trafficking and drug trafficking, while carrying out dozens of overt acts in furtherance of the gang, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota. Those federal charges followed months of local reporting on mass shootings and other bloody incidents that authorities have linked to the group. For background, Hoodline previously covered the original gang takedown when the indictment first dropped last year.
Multiagency Task Force Built the Case
The investigation has drawn in a long list of federal, state and local agencies, including the ATF, FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation, HSI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, Minneapolis Police and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, as reported by FOX 9. Prosecutors say coordinated investigative work, from crime-gun intelligence to financial tracing, helped them connect shootings, murders and drug deals back to the Lows as a single criminal enterprise. That sort of interagency tag-team effort has become a hallmark of the Justice Department’s broader push to bring RICO cases against street gangs in the Twin Cities.
Why Prosecutors Turned to RICO
Federal prosecutors argue that using the RICO statute lets them treat crews like the Lows as organized enterprises rather than a loose collection of individuals, making it easier to hold leaders and network players accountable for violent and trafficking crimes. As the Star Tribune reported, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger has labeled the Lows especially violent and framed the indictments as part of a long-running crackdown on gangs. That strategy has already produced other federal prosecutions and RICO convictions tied to gang-related violence in the region, with prosecutors clearly signaling they are in this for the long haul.
Potential Penalties and Next Steps
A conviction on a racketeering conspiracy involving murder or other violent felonies can carry a potential life sentence, and the separate drug and firearm counts stack on substantial additional prison exposure, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota. Jackson’s exact punishment will be decided at a later hearing, where the court will consider the 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl he admitted to and any cooperation he may offer. Federal officials say they expect the broader wave of prosecutions to keep moving as the remaining defendants enter pleas or head toward trial.
Jackson’s guilty plea marks the first big courtroom milestone in what authorities describe as a complex, long-term probe that will not wrap up anytime soon. As AP noted when the indictments were first announced, the Lows case is part of a wider federal effort to confront violent street gangs in Minneapolis. Expect more hearings, filings and legal maneuvering in the months ahead as the dominoes in this RICO case continue to fall.
