A Duluth resident has been sentenced to 167 months in prison for narcotics trafficking, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. Diaunte Jevon Shields, 44, will also serve five years of supervised release following his prison term.
Court documents reveal that on February 19, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Shields's residence in Duluth, Minnesota. Officers found over a kilogram of fentanyl, a pound of methamphetamine, and hundreds of grams of cocaine inside the apartment. A firearm and loaded magazine were discovered in the same cooler as the drugs. Additional evidence included cutting agents and packing materials for drug distribution. Authorities also located another kilogram-plus of cocaine in a FedEx box intended for Shields and seized over $33,000 in cash during his arrest.
Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick stated, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office proudly serves all of Minnesota, from our big cities to our small towns.” She added that “Defendant Shields trafficked deadly poison to our community in Duluth—and now will be off the streets for well more than a decade.”
Shields pleaded guilty on August 22, 2024, to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. His sentencing was carried out by Judge Katherine M. Menendez in U.S. District Court.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Duluth Police Department with support from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted the case.