Duluth man sentenced in Federal Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Case

A Duluth man has been sentenced to 210 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. 34-year-old Johnathan Eric Thompson, a.k.a. “Remy,” will then serve five years of supervised release, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

Thompson was sentenced on Wednesday in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. In handing down the sentence, Judge Tostrud noted the sentence was due in part to Thompson’s negative impact to the city of Duluth, and that his crimes “fed existing addictions and destroyed lives and families.”

According to court documents, Thompson conspired with others to obtain and distribute large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Records show he regularly traveled to Chicago to obtain methamphetamine and fentanyl to sell throughout the Duluth region. On October 27, 2023, Thompson sold 1,830 grams of methamphetamine to one individual, and on November 16, 2023, he sold 2,280 grams of methamphetamine to another individual.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, law enforcement executed a search warrant at an apartment being used by the defendant and his co-conspirators to store and package methamphetamine and fentanyl for sale and found 858 grams of methamphetamine and 568 grams of fentanyl. Thompson was arrested on November 30, 2023.

At the time of arrest, authorities say he was found in possession of 268 grams of fentanyl and 100 counterfeit fentanyl pills. Between October and November 2023, it is estimated that Thompson possessed 7,321 grams of methamphetamine and 863 grams of fentanyl.

The Duluth Police Department, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, the Lake Superior Violent Offender Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations assisted in this investigation.