Eveleth Felon Sentenced to 10 Years in Drug Trafficking Case

MINNEAPOLIS – An Eveleth man has been sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession of fentanyl and methamphetamine with intent to distribute, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to the defendant's plea agreement and court documents, between January 1, 2023, and March 9, 2023, Juan Pedro Alapisco-Ochoa, 52, knowingly conspired with co-conspirators to acquire fentanyl with the intention of distributing it. On January 7, 2023, law enforcement conducted a controlled buy and purchased over 1,000 fentanyl pills from Alapisco-Ochoa and his co-conspirators. On March 7, 2023, as part of a separate investigation, postal inspectors stopped a shipment addressed to the defendant's apartment which contained 481 grams of methamphetamine packed inside a stereo speaker. Shortly afterwards, law enforcement conducted a controlled delivery to Alapisco-Ochoa's apartment. Agents seized 11 grams of methamphetamine, 170 blue fentanyl pills, and miscellaneous drug paraphernalia from the apartment.

Alapisco-Ochoa pleaded guilty on October 12, 2023, to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He was sentenced on April 24, 2024, in U.S. District Court by Judge Michael J. Davis.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the Dakota County Drug Task Force, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Lake Superior Violent Crime Drug Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter prosecuted the case.