Three individuals charged for drug trafficking at Red Lake Reservation

Three individuals from northern Minnesota have been charged in a drug trafficking conspiracy. This case brought fentanyl and methamphetamine to the Red Lake Reservation and surrounding area.

According to court documents, Derek Jon Paddy, 27, of Bemidji, Erika Dawn Bellanger, 25, of Bemidji, and Raymond Allen Drouillard, 44, of Trail. The defendants knowingly and intentionally conspired with each other, along with other individuals to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.

All three defendants are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Paddy and Bellanger are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. Meanwhile Drouillard is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Paddy and Bellanger made their initial appearances late last week in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Jon T. Huseby. Drouillard made his initial appearance on January 5, 2023. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren O. Roso is prosecuting the case.

This drug trafficking case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Bemidji Police Department, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, and the Red Lake Police Department.