Robiel Lee Williams has been sentenced to a decade in prison for his involvement in a fentanyl distribution scheme, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. Williams will also serve five years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
“Drug dealers are endlessly creative in finding new ways to smuggle their deadly poison into Minnesota,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Williams and his co-conspirators hid their deadly fentanyl in stuffed animals—literally children’s toys. We should all be appalled. Williams will rightly spend the next decade in federal prison.”
The court documents reveal that between August 2022 and December 2023, Williams, aged 25, along with others, conspired to distribute fentanyl across the Twin Cities and throughout Minnesota. Their operation involved traveling to Phoenix to obtain fentanyl pills from suppliers, concealing them inside stuffed animals, and mailing the packages to different addresses within the Twin Cities area.
A collaborative investigation by law enforcement agencies in Dakota, Ramsey, and Washington counties uncovered six packages containing over 30,000 grams of fentanyl pills. Fingerprints belonging to Williams and several co-defendants were found on these seized packages.
On June 30, 2025, Williams was sentenced by Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan at the U.S. District Court.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigation, Dakota County Drug Task Force, Washington County Drug Task Force, and Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted the case.
