A member of the Minneapolis Highs gang has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for participating in a racketeering conspiracy, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. Deandre Poe, also known as "Squizzy" or "Fat Squad," received a sentence of 168 months followed by four years of supervised release.
Court documents reveal that Poe, aged 35, was part of the Highs gang, which has operated on the north side of Minneapolis since around 2004. The gang gathered at locations near West Broadway Avenue and Lyndale Avenue North. Members were required to prove their loyalty through acts of violence or by providing resources such as drugs or firearms. The gang had a directive to locate and eliminate rival members, with consequences for those who failed to comply.
Poe was involved in an extensive fentanyl trafficking operation linked to suppliers based in Arizona. Between November 2022 and March 2023, he made several trips from Minneapolis to Phoenix and mailed bulk parcels of fentanyl back to Minnesota via the U.S. Postal Service.
Poe pleaded guilty on October 3, 2024, to one count of engaging in a RICO conspiracy with the Highs criminal enterprise. He was sentenced by Judge Nancy E. Brasel in U.S. District Court on March 4, 2025.
The investigation into this case involved multiple agencies including the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Minneapolis Police Department, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and Minnesota Department of Corrections with assistance from various other law enforcement entities.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Albania Concepcion, Carla J. Baumel, Rebecca E. Kline and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez for the District of Minnesota along with Trial Attorney Brian W. Lynch from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.