St. Paul man sentenced to 12 years for role in fentanyl trafficking ring
MINNEAPOLIS -- A judge sentenced a St. Paul man to 12 years in prison Thursday for his role in a fentanyl trafficking ring and illegally possessing a firearm.
In February, Keonee Nasier Shaffer-Frazier, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm as a felon.
Court documents say Shaffer-Fraizer was part of a drug trafficking ring that contained "M30 or "MBox" fentanyl pills and transported and distributed the pills across the Twin Cities.
Shaffer-Fraizer is said to have regularly distributed fentanyl pills in quantities ranging from 100 to 1,000 or more at a time on a regular basis.
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Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement obtained nearly 60,000 fentanyl pills from Shaffer-Fraizer and his co-conspirators. Additionally, investigators seized $83,000, body armor and firearms from the group.
Law enforcement also recovered two loaded semi-automatic pistols from Shaffer-Fraizer's vehicle before he was arrested in March last year. He was later released on bail.
Months later, Shaffer-Fraizer was arrested after a short foot chase with police. Authorities recovered over $7,000 from his person and found a semiautomatic pistol with an extended magazine in his vehicle.
According to U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, Shaffer-Frazier was sentenced to 144 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.