A Twin Cities man has been dealt a heavy blow by the federal courts, receiving a 23-year prison sentence for his key role in an extensive international drug trafficking ring. Identified as Clinton James Ward, the individual pled guilty to charges including conspiracy to distribute meth and engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, as reported by CBS News Minnesota. Post conviction, Ward is facing five years of supervised release following his prison term.
Previously confronted with 19 counts,, Ward was found guilty of running operations with Mexican cartels to pump narcotics into the United States, effectively making millions from the illegal trade of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. The complexity of his network was punctuated by the use of shipping containers, private vehicles, and semi-trucks to smuggle drugs, which were subsequently distributed in smaller amounts across Minnesota. This operation was pinpointed by officials as the largest of its kind within Minnesota’s borders.
From a Mexican residence, deemed central to Ward’s operations, authorities seized a cache that included more than 1,600 pounds of meth, tens of thousands of counterfeit fentanyl pills, copious amounts of cocaine, over $2 million in trafficking proceeds, and 45 firearms. While Ward’s arrest in Mexico and subsequent extradition were noteworthy, these seizures are considered only a fraction of the total illicit goods that Ward’s enterprise is believed to have circulated, according to a seizure described by the U.S. Attorney’s Office…