(NewsNation) — A Minnesota man has received a 23-year prison sentence last month for his part in an international drug trafficking operation.
Clinton James Ward pleaded guilty in March 2025 to conspiracy to distribute meth and engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. He admitted to using an existing cartel pipeline to funnel drugs from Mexico to Minnesota from 2019 to 2025.
Officials said over five years, Ward allegedly made millions by importing fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine. They said Ward moved the drugs using shipping containers, private vehicles and semi-trucks.
When federal agents seized Ward’s home in Mexico, they discovered more than 1,600 pounds of meth, 30,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills, four kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of fentanyl, 45 guns, and more than $2.5 million in drug-trafficking proceeds.
Ward had ties to the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, investigators said.
Officials said 14 others were arrested in connection with the operation.