Crime, Law and Justice

Two dozen alleged gang members indicted for drug trafficking

4 law enforcement leaders at presser
From left, U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen, FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Chris Dotson, Hennepin County Attorney Dawanna Witt, and Minneapolis Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson announce drug trafficking charges against two dozen alleged gang members on Tuesday.
Matt Sepic | MPR News

A federal grand jury in Minneapolis has indicted two dozen alleged gang members on drug trafficking conspiracy charges. Two of the defendants are also accused of killing a rival.

Prosecutors said that the Family Mob gang sold fentanyl and other narcotics near Lake Street and Park Avenue.

At a Tuesday news conference, U.S. Attorney Dan Rosen said that in September, defendants Trevon Harris and Deangelo Davenport shot two rivals, wounding one and killing another in an attempted robbery.

"The drug trafficking of these defendants we allege has contributed to a general escalation of violence, including deadly violence in the city of Minneapolis," Rosen said.

According to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s office, Jamal Brandan Smith, 30, suffered a gunshot wound to his thigh. The bullet struck Smith’s femoral artery.

Besides the Family Mob, the feds charged another group allegedly led by Amani Xavier Hudson, Sr., 35, with trafficking fentanyl and cocaine in an area around Nicollet Avenue and 19th St. south of downtown.

Authorities said that they arrested half of the defendants with the help of Minneapolis police and Hennepin County sheriff's deputies. One defendant, Fronta Lontrell Miller, 50, remains at large.