A judge on Monday sentenced a man to a decade in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that led to the largest fentanyl bust in Minnesota history.

Robiel Williams pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl after authorities seized more than 280,000 fentanyl pills in early 2023. His prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release.

Eight other people were charged in the drug trafficking conspiracy that involved purchasing the pills from suppliers in Phoenix and hiding them inside stuffed animals. They would then mail the stuffed animals to addresses around the Twin Cities. The packages were lined with dog treats to prevent drug-sniffing dogs from alerting authorities.

In all, the pills had an estimated value of over $2.2 million.

"Drug dealers are endlessly creative in finding new ways to smuggle their deadly poison into Minnesota," Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said. "Williams and his co-conspirators hid their deadly fentanyl in stuffed animals — literally children's toys. We should all be appalled."   

Williams is the third defendant in the scheme to be sentenced so far. Six others have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Fentanyl was involved in more than 90% of all opioid-related deaths and more than 60% of all overdose deaths in the state in 2022, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Health.