Co-Leader of Moorhead Drug Conspiracy Receives 16 Years

FARGO – U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on April 14, 2014, David Ramiro Cerna Jr., 37, of Moorhead, Minn., was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to serve 16 years in prison for aiding and abetting the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamines and marijuana. Judge Erickson also ordered that Cerna Jr. pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims Fund as well as 48 months supervised release.

The conspiracy involved the transportation of kilogram quantities of methamphetamine from Texas that was distributed in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Co-conspirators also obtained large quantities of marijuana from the Minneapolis area and distributed it throughout the local area.

In addition to today’s sentencing, Judge Erickson previously sentenced several other co-conspirators. Sean Ingebretson, of Fargo, N.D., was sentenced on Thursday April 10, 2014, to serve 12 years three months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamines.
Juan Cerna, David Cerna Jr.’s brother and co-leader of the conspiracy was sentenced on February 12, 2014 to 18 ½ years in prison.

Other members previously sentenced from the Cerna organization include; Al Owen Johnson, Cassandra Anne Kasowski, Allison Schrelle Hunter, Jonathan Scott Lewis, Brandon Scott Elsenpeter and Steve Frederick Schmidt. Three other members are awaiting sentencing.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Fargo and Moorhead Police Departments, and Cass County Drug Task Force.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Myers and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Shasky prosecuted the cases.