DULUTH, Minn — Authorities say 21 members of a interstate drug-trafficking organization have been charged with transporting and distributing fentanyl and heroin in parts of northern Minnesota.
Duluth police say that between June and December of 2021, traffickers brought large amounts of drugs from Illinois to midlevel dealers and consumers in Carlton and St. Louis counties.
Drug task force investigators allege that 23-year-old Chicago resident Nicholas Calloway was the leader of the Chicago-based Drug Trafficking Organization. They say Calloway directed the transportation of heroin and fentanyl from Chicago where it was distributed in the Twin Ports area and beyond.
Calloway’s source of supply is believed to be Chicago resident Demetrius McCafferty, 34. Both men are currently held in the Cook County Jail, awaiting extradition to Minnesota.
"Cases like these are time and labor-intensive but are essential to removing drug trafficking organizations and lethal opioids from our neighborhoods," said task force Commander Jeff Kazel. "Our community is fortunate to have the men and women of this team working to save lives through law enforcement and victim outreach efforts.”
During the investigation into the drug operation, undercover task force officers would contact Calloway, who prosecutors say primarily ran the organization from Chicago. Calloway would arrange pickup times and meeting locations between buyers and local dealers. In all, investigators made 20 separate undercover purchases from various members of the drug ring during the duration of the investigation.
Prosecutors also say that the operation used violence and threats to maintain their hold on the drug market in Duluth-Superior and other areas of northern Minnesota.
Fourteen people have been arrested so far, and felony warrants have been issued for seven more.
The Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force discovered that traffickers last year transported and sold more than 10 pounds of heroin and fentanyl, with an estimated street value of $725,600. That's the equivalent of 18,140 doses.
Heroin, fentanyl and other opioids continue to be a major problem in the Twin Ports. St. Louis County Attorney Kim Maki says in 2021 there were 42 opioid-related deaths, and another 346 overdoses that were not lethal, numbers she called "staggering."
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