Twin Cities Dealers Snuck Fentanyl Pills Inside Stuffed Animals: Feds

ST. PAUL, MN — Federal charges were filed against six people last month in connection with a fentanyl distribution ring in the Twin Cities metro.

As part of the investigation, authorities seized 280,000 fentanyl pills, the largest seizure in state history, officials said.

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, each face one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

White was also charged with one count of possession of a firearm as a felon and one count of possession of a machinegun.

"We continue to see the devastating impacts of fentanyl in our communities," said Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry in a statement. "With this seizure, we know that hundreds, if not thousands of lives have been saved."

Between August 2022 and December 2023, the six men conspired to distribute fentanyl in Minnesota, according to authorities.

They 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, investigators said.

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, according to authorities.