Three Defendants Indicted for Trafficking Fentanyl to Bemidji and the Red Lake Indian Reservation

MINNEAPOLIS – Three individuals have been indicted on conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and firearm charges, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

According to court documents, from April 2024 through September 2024, La’veal O’Neal Allen, 38, of Minneapolis, Marquise Javon Walker, 28, of Lakeville, Minnesota, and Michaela Karon McKinney, 37, of New Hope, Minnesota, knowingly conspired with each other to possess and distribute fentanyl.

The indictment charges Allen, Walker, and McKinney with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Allen is additionally charged with felon in possession of a firearm. As the indictment details, Allen’s criminal history includes multiple felonies, including two convictions for first degree aggravated robbery a conviction for a predatory offender registration violation.  Because Allen has prior felony convictions, he is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition at any time.

“Fentanyl continues to flood communities throughout Minnesota, and unfortunately, we see some of the highest rates of overdose and addiction on our Indian reservations,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “This trio of defendants has plagued the Red Lake Indian Reservation and the Bemidji area for years.  No more. My office will ensure these purveyors of poison see federal justice.”   

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. McBride is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.