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Minnesota woman pleads guilty in federal drug case with ties to South Dakota

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Minnesota woman pleads guilty in federal drug case with ties to South Dakota
Stearns Co. Sheriff

March 28, 2024

FARGO, N.D.–A central Minnesota woman who was arrested in Mexico has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges.

U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider says 33-year-old Deanna Gerads (pictured) of Freeport, Minnesota was arrested in Mexico in August by Mexican immigration agents and deported.

Gerads pleaded guilty this week to charges of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Possession with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances.

An indictment alleged that Gerads and 11 co-defendants ran a drug operation starting in 2019 that imported methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl to Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

The case was a part of “Operation Unfinished Business II”, a federal drug task force that investigates international trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.

Gerads will be sentenced July 2nd. Schneider says she had been considered a fugitive for more than a year. He says the FBI played a significant role in providing information that led to her arrest.