A U.S. District judge has sentenced a Red Lake man to over five years in prison and four years of supervised release for intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports in a press release that Matt Dion Sayers, 47, was sentenced to 63 months in prison on April 16th after pleading guilty in December 2022. Sayers pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a firearm as a felon and one count of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to the press release, on June 22, 2022, agents began investigating Sayers after he escaped custody from the Red Lake police. The investigation revolved around suspect drug distribution from a Bemidji motel. Agents observed Sayers enter and exit a silver van nearby where he parked. Law enforcement detained Sayers for suspicion of controlled substance sales and driving without a valid driver’s license after he left the van.

Sayers claimed he was staying at the motel. Agent obtained a search warrant and during the subsequent search, they found approximately 46 grams of fentanyl powder in Sayers’ pants pocket. Law enforcement also found $11,000 in case and a small safe containing various packed controlled substances in Sayers’ vehicle. These substances included, but were not limited to, additional fentanyl and methamphetamine. On the front driver’s side floorboard, agents also found an UZI Pro Brand 9 x 19 mm caliber semi-automatic pistol.

The FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, and Red Lake Tribal Police Department all assisted with the case.

By — Mary Balstad