Bemidji Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking, Illegal Possession of Gun

A 29-year-old Bemidji man has been sentenced to six years in prison for trafficking fentanyl and illegal possession of a machine gun.

Patrick Burton Strong was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to the charges. According to court documents, Strong traveled from Bemidji to Minneapolis, where he purchased $10,000 worth of fentanyl. He was arrested after a Minnesota state trooper stopped the vehicle he was in and found 100 grams of fentanyl powder, as well as a “ghost” gun with a switch to allow it to be fired as a fully automatic weapon.

There were two others who were in the vehicle that was stopped. 27-year-old Danielle Goodman and 24-year-old Leticia Sumner have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl but have not been sentenced yet.