A man from Redby, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 112 months in prison and five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
“The pipeline of deadly drugs to Red Lake and Indian Country must end,” said Thompson. “Redby trafficked in poison, profiting from the addiction and misery of some of our most vulnerable. He will rightly spend nearly a decade in federal prison.”
Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis commented on the case, stating: “Fentanyl kills silently, claiming the lives of unsuspecting victims struggling with substance abuse. By introducing fentanyl and methamphetamine into the Red Lake community, Donnell preyed on the vulnerable to enrich himself. This sentence demonstrates that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue and bring to justice those who use drugs to exploit and attack communities.”
Court documents reveal that Bobby Lee Donnell purchased approximately 454 grams of methamphetamine and about 100 grams of fentanyl from Minneapolis in September 2024. He intended to distribute these substances at the Red Lake Nation but was stopped by a Minnesota State Trooper in Morrison County for a traffic infraction. The trooper found methamphetamine, fentanyl, and a digital scale during a vehicle search.
Donnell is described as a repeat offender with numerous convictions across tribal, state, and federal courts. At the time of his latest offense, he was under supervised release for prior federal convictions related to possessing obscene material with intent to sell.
U.S. District Court Judge Eric C. Tostrud handed down Donnell’s sentence which includes an additional 12-month concurrent sentence for violating his federal supervised release terms.
The investigation leading to this sentencing involved multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota State Patrol, and Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted this case.
