Officials announce charges against alleged Twin Cities gang members in crackdown on fentanyl trafficking
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal and local law enforcement officials announced charges against more than a dozen alleged Twin Cities gang members Wednesday afternoon.
Fourteen people, whom officials say were members and associates of the Minneapolis Highs gang, were charged with "racketeering (RICO) conspiracy and fentanyl trafficking," as well as various counts of "firearms violations, kidnapping, assault, and carjacking," the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota said.
"Today's charges against the Highs gang are focused on the criminal organization's extensive fentanyl trafficking operations," U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said. "Selling fentanyl in our communities is as dangerous and lethal as the brazen gun violence we've seen in our cities. Addressing the nexus between narcotics trafficking and violent crime is a critical piece of our Violent Crime Strategy, and I am grateful to my law enforcement partners who are equally focused on protecting the lives of Minnesotans, regardless of the threat."
The 14 charged are as follows:
- Gregory Brown, aka Lil' G, aka Knowledge, 33, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Marques Walker, aka Q, aka Quez, 41, is charged with RICO conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of a controlled substance, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Deandre Poe, aka Squizzy, aka Fat Squad, 34, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Clinton Brown, aka CJ, 29, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Amarjah Lester, aka M-Thang, 21, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime
- Christopher Lee Washington, aka Flock, aka David Hendricks, 29, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Ernest Ketter, aka Shakedown, 27, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Robert Lesure, aka Bibby Folks, 21, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Avante Nix, aka Fat Folks, 21, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Arron Davis, aka A-Boogie, 31, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Dashawn Jackson, aka D-Nice, 31, is charged with RICO conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Jadarius Wright, 29, of Phoenix, Arizona, is charged with is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of a controlled substance, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance
- Carlos Serrano, 31, of Phoenix, Arizona, is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances
- Leneal Frazier, aka Baby Chop, aka Lil' Chop, 22, who was previously indicted on September 6, 2023, is charged with kidnapping in aid of racketeering, assault in aid of racketeering, carjacking, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence
The charges are related to "an extensive fentanyl trafficking operation" that occurred from summer of 2020 to spring of 2023, authorities said. Those charged are alleged to have been involved in moving fentanyl pills back and forth between Minnesota and Arizona with the intent to sell them.
Officials said 11.6 kilos of fentanyl, at least 36 guns and more than $218,000 were seized during the investigation. Several agencies cooperated in the crackdown, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Internal Revenue Service, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and others.
Luger, Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Tracey Martin, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, Drug Enforcement Agency Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei and others appeared at a press conference to announce the charges.
This is the third time this year officials have called a press conference to announce charges against multiple alleged gang members. In May, authorities charged 45 alleged gang members as part of a widespread initiative to address crime in the city. Then, in August, an additional 14 people were charged.
The previous people charged were allegedly connected to the Highs, Lows, Bloods and other street gangs. Some of the charges were made possible by the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which allows federal authorities to prosecute a large number of gang members at once, after first establishing that the gang is part of a sizable criminal enterprise. Others were charged individually with drug and weapons violations.
When leaders restructured the Minneapolis Police Department earlier this year, officers were permanently assigned to the U.S. Attorney's Office as organized crime liaisons.
"We will not allow a small group of violent gang members to continue to terrorize our neighbors," O'Hara said when the previous charges were announced. "These arrests won't be the last, and the work will continue."