Minnesotan charged with ‘kingpin status’ for allegedly running ‘sprawling’ Mexican drug trafficking ring

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (WCCO) — A Twin Cities man and 14 others are facing charges in connection with what federal law enforcement officials are calling one of the most sophisticated international drug trafficking operations they’ve ever seen.

Clinton James Ward, 45, faces decades in prison for allegedly running what officials describe as a “sprawling, Mexico-based” operation that distributed a “truly staggering” amount of drugs across Minnesota.

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, DEA Special Agent in Charge Steven Bell and FBI Assistant Special Agent Leah Greeves announced the charges Tuesday during a joint press conference at the Minneapolis District Court.

Authorities say Ward was arrested on January 4, 2019, in the parking lot of a Vadnais Heights motel with several kilograms of meth. Weeks later, he fled to Jalisco, Mexico, where he reportedly quickly formed alliances with Mexican and American traffickers with ties to two of the country’s most treacherous cartels: the Cártel de Sinaloa and the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).

“This man moved to Mexico and set up business with two of the most violent and prolific cartels to ship a massive amount of deadly narcotics to Minnesota,” Luger said.

Over five years, Ward allegedly made millions importing fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into the Twin Cities through “an extensive network of distributors” in what officials are calling the most prolific drug trafficking operation in Minnesota history.

According to officials, drugs were transported on Ward’s orders in shipping containers, private vehicles and trucks before being broken into smaller quantities and sent to Minnesota. Local and federal law enforcement built their cases against Ward and his accomplices by intercepting several of those shipments.

On March 11, Ward was arrested in Mexico by DEA and FBI agents. He was extradited to the U.S., where he became one of the few Americans ever to be charged under the “kingpin statute,” or the Continuing Criminal Enterprise Statute (CCE). He also faces several other drug-related charges.

The DEA and FBI combined have seized more than 1,600 pounds of meth, 30,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills, pounds and pounds of cocaine, $2.5 million in drug trafficking proceeds and 45 guns from Ward’s Mexican home. Officials say the amount of drugs seized is a drop in the ocean compared to the amount that has been distributed in recent years.

Bell said the meth seized is equivalent to 5.8 million dosage units, or one dose for every Minnesota resident. And the fentanyl seized amounts to 217,000 lethal doses.

Bell said the remnants of Ward’s organization were “taken down” on Tuesday. Luger said 13 of the 15 defendants have been arrested and the other two will be in custody “soon.” Officials say more than 50 people connected to Ward’s operation have already been charged with various human trafficking offenses.

“Mr. Ward lived a life of luxury,” Bell said. “Those days are over.”

Luger says the attacks will be felt in Minnesota, but “much more needs to be done.”

According to the DEA, drugs smuggled into the U.S. from Mexico are the number one cause of death among adults ages 18 to 45.

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