Two Canadians, one Colombian get lengthy sentences in U.S. for fentanyl distribution enterprise

An international fentanyl distribution conspiracy that ran out of a Quebec prison has resulted in two Canadians and one Colombian getting lengthy prison sentences, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs announced in a press release.

Colombian citizen Daniel Ceron was sentenced on Thursday to 27 years in prison in North Dakota, the release said, after Ceron facilitated an international criminal enterprise, distributing large amounts of fentanyl from China to Canada and the U.S. The Office of Public Affairs said Ceron orchestrated the operation by using a contraband cell phone from within Drummond Correctional Institution in Quebec.

Ceron was extradited from Panama to the U.S. in 2017, and pleaded guilty to charges involving money laundering and drug conspiracy in 2019, according to the United States Attorney’s Office District of North Dakota.

The release noted that Ceron’s distribution of fentanyl resulted in 15 overdoses, four of which led to death and 11 resulting in bodily harm.

On Monday, co-conspirator Jason Berry, a Canadian citizen from Montreal, was sentenced to 24 years in prison. Berry played a role in arranging the acquisition of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues from China, as well as the larger distribution of the lethal drug throughout the U.S, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Last week, on July 17, co-conspirator Xuan Cahn Nguyen, another Canadian citizen from Point-Aux-Tremble, Quebec, Canada, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for assisting Berry and Ceron in distribution and collecting the proceeds gained from selling the narcotics.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in the release that these cases reflect the U.S. Justice Department’s commitment to going after “every link in this global supply chain and to holding accountable those who profit from this deadly drug at the expense of families.”

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco added that these sentences are part of international efforts to dismantle the global supply and delivery of fentanyl, and that the cases are a big step towards serving justice. “Today’s sentences also represent hard-won justice for the victims of this international trafficking enterprise, their loved ones, and their communities,” Monaco said.

“The Department of Justice is grateful to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for their invaluable assistance in this case. We must continue to work hand-in-hand with our partners in Canada and Mexico to fight the deadly threat posed by fentanyl in North America.”

For more on the drug trafficking scheme that ran out of a Quebec prison, read CTV News Montreal’s coverage.