Late yesterday, Damien Duwjan Shade, 48, was convicted by a federal jury in Minneapolis on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm and attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The verdict followed a two-day trial and was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
“Stuffed animals are symbols of childhood, not vessels for poison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Turning a child’s toy into a cover for lethal drugs shows the lengths drug traffickers will go to peddle their poison. This verdict ensures there will be consequences.”
Evidence presented during the trial showed that in March 2023, Rochester Police responded to reports of three suspicious packages at the FedEx facility at Rochester Airport. The packages had been shipped from San Diego, California, under the name “Trayvon Strange” and were addressed to individuals who did not live at the listed Winona, Minnesota addresses.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Rochester Police used a drug detection dog that alerted officers to the presence of narcotics inside the packages. After obtaining warrants, law enforcement found six pounds of methamphetamine concealed within stuffed animals.
Officers then conducted a controlled delivery by removing most of the methamphetamine and replacing it with filler materials to maintain the original weight before delivering the packages as addressed. The mother of Shade’s children retrieved them first; Shade later arrived to collect what he believed were methamphetamine-filled parcels. Officers found that Shade had opened these packages and discovered both some remaining methamphetamine and cut-open stuffed animals.
Shade confessed during questioning, admitting he had traveled to California to buy several pounds of methamphetamine which he then shipped back to Minnesota using fake names, hiding the drugs inside stuffed toys. He also acknowledged having a gun in his apartment despite being legally barred from possessing firearms due to his prior felony conviction.
A search warrant executed at Shade’s residence uncovered an unopened package containing repackaged stuffed animals filled with law enforcement’s filler material rather than drugs. Authorities also located a loaded Comanche III .357 Magnum revolver in a dresser drawer, over 400 rounds of ammunition in his closet, drug paraphernalia including digital scales and small baggies, and what appeared to be a drug ledger.
Shade has a previous conviction from 2013 for being a felon in possession of a firearm in San Diego.
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, Rochester Police Department, Winona County Sheriff’s Office, Winona Police Department, and other members of Southeast Minnesota Violent Crime Enforcement Team (SEMVCET). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren O. Roso and Syngen Kanassatega prosecuted the case.
Sentencing is scheduled for a later date; Shade faces up to life imprisonment if convicted on all counts.
