Dallas County man sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl

PLANO, Texas –A Mesquite man has been sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Arob Kolnyang, 31, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan on December 17, 2025.

According to information presented in court, beginning in 2021, Kolnyang was involved in a conspiracy with others to distribute at least 40 grams of fentanyl in the Eastern District of Texas.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Inspection Service-Office of Inspector General, Mesquite Police Department, and Phoenix, Arizona, Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Plano office.