Federal prosecutors say six people have been arrested and charged in connection with a fentanyl trafficking ring that sent pills from Arizona to the Twin Cities metro area by hiding them in stuffed animals.

According to court documents, Cornell Montez Chandler Jr., 24, Robiel Lee Williams, 23, Quijuan Hosea Bankhead, 30, Stardasha Christina Davenport-Mounger, 24, Fo’Tre Devine White, 26, and Shardai Rayshell Allen, 24, conspired to distribute fentanyl in Minnesota between August and December 2022.

Several defendants traveled to Phoenix to obtain fentanyl pills from suppliers, hid the pills inside stuffed animals and mailed them to addresses in and around the Twin Cities, prosecutors say.

Law enforcement in Dakota, Ramsey and Washington counties became aware of the trafficking and initiated a joint investigation, which resulted in the seizure of six packages containing over 30,000 grams of fentanyl pills.

All defendants made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Docherty in St. Paul on Thursday.

Related Articles

Hundreds of convictions, but a major mystery is still unsolved 3 years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Teen kills 6th grader, wounds 5 others and takes own life in Iowa high school shooting, police say

Charges: St. Paul man used East Side house like a store to sell and stash drugs

Central Minnesota man charged with fatally shooting wife as children were in home

Florida man arrested, accused of threatening to kill U.S Rep. Eric Swalwell and his family