Andrew M. Luger, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota
A Brainerd man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing and intending to distribute fentanyl in the Brainerd Lakes area. The sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
Court documents reveal that on August 1, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a storage unit in Brainerd owned by Dazaughn Ellis West, aged 28. Inside the unit, officers discovered between 13,000 and 15,000 pressed fentanyl pills weighing approximately 2.8 pounds. Further searches at West's home led to the discovery of an additional 150 grams of fentanyl pills, a loaded semi-automatic pistol, a .22 caliber rifle, and quantities of cocaine intended for distribution.
West received his sentence on February 6, 2025, in U.S. District Court before Judge John R. Tunheim.
The investigation was carried out by several agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, Brainerd Police Department, and the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Division (LADID).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren O. Roso prosecuted the case.
