3 charged for drug trafficking on Red Lake Reservation

By Pat Sweeney Feb 22, 2023 | 3:52 PM

Three people from northern Minnesota face federal charges in a drug trafficking conspiracy that brought fentanyl and methamphetamine to the Red Lake Reservation and surrounding area.

The U-S Attorney’s Office says 27-year-old Derek Paddy and 25-year-old Erika Bellanger, both of Bemidji, and 44-year-old Raymond Drouillard of Trail (MN) knowingly and intentionally conspired with each other and others to distribute fentanyl and meth.

All three are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Paddy and Bellanger are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, while Drouillard is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Bemidji Police Department, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, and the Red Lake Police Department.

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