Minnesota man sentenced to 20 years for fentanyl trafficking

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A 44-year-old Minnesota man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances in the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Chief U.S. District Judge Pamela Pepper sentenced Michael Williams came after a federal jury found him guilty on July 17 following a nine-day trial. After completing his prison sentence, Williams will be on supervised release for an additional 60 months.

According to court documents, Williams manufactured and distributed kilogram quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and heroin and distributed pound quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana. He was part of a drug trafficking conspiracy that had established distribution hubs throughout the Midwest, including, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, St. Paul, the greater Chicago area and northern Indiana.

Court documents further indicate that Williams operated the drug trafficking organization’s primary drug stash location in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here, he and others mixed, tested, and packaged controlled substances, including kilogram quantities of fentanyl. On Nov. 29, 2022, when Williams’ stash location was searched, authorities located approximately 1,700 grams of fentanyl, over 700 grams of heroin, 650 grams of methamphetamine, 2,700 grams of cocaine, and 760 grams of marijuana. Williams’ residence was also searched the same day, at which time authorities located two loaded firearms and approximately $154,000.

Pepper, in pronouncing the sentence, noted the sheer volume of very dangerous drugs that the defendant was mixing and selling. She also noted Williams’ criminal history, which included multiple felonies, and his pattern of re-offending after serving time in custody.

A co-defendant, Joathan Colula, was also found guilty on July 17, 2025, following the trial. He sourced the drug trafficking organization with kilograms of cocaine, fentanyl pills and methamphetamine. He was based out of California and his sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2026.

The case was investigated by the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, comprised of officers and agents from the Milwaukee Police Department, West Allis Police Department, South Milwaukee Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice —Division of Criminal Investigation, and the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. The Internal Revenue Service and the Apple Valley Police Department also participated in the investigation.