St. Cloud Man Faces 12 Year Prison Term as Key Figure in Fentanyl Distribution Network

(KNSI) — A St. Cloud man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after prosecutors say he was a major player in the distribution of fentanyl.

According to the criminal complaint, in August of 2022, investigators found an SUV known to be associated with 35-year-old Thomas Gentry Junior stopped on the road in St. Cloud near another vehicle. That vehicle was followed to Onamia, where police conducted a traffic stop and allegedly found a “large quantity” of counterfeit M Box 30 pills. The person admitted the drugs were laced with fentanyl and that the pills were purchased from Gentry.

Investigators say in November of 2022, Gentry went to a storage facility in Maple Grove where he rented a unit under an assumed name. Surveillance footage allegedly showed him going back and forth to and from the unit with backpacks.

Raids were conducted on the storage facility and a home where Gentry was associated. The two raids turned up more than 17,000 counterfeit pills, marijuana, cocaine, and $38,500 in cash. Gentry was present at the raid at the house, where he allegedly gave police a fake name. Investigators confirmed his identity and seized more than $6,500 from his bag.

Prosecutors said Gentry “occupied a high position in the drug distribution hierarchy,” because there was a high degree of “sophistication or planning,” and because it involved “a broad geographic area of disbursement.” Prosecutors allege his distribution network stretched from the Twin Cities through St. Cloud and Onamia, and they were seeking an aggravated sentence.

He was charged with five felony drug counts and one misdemeanor for giving police a false name. Gentry pled guilty to “aggravated controlled substance crime on the first degree (two or more aggravating factors)” in September. As part of the plea deal, the other five charges against him were dismissed.

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