Elfred William Petruk, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Minnesota 2017

Defendant Convicted of Methamphetamine Trafficking-Related Offenses

Elfred William Petruk, 38, has been convicted of methamphetamine trafficking-related offenses in federal court. A jury found Petruk guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, following a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Duluth, Minnesota.

According to the evidence presented at trial, law enforcement agents received information in July 2016 that Petruk, who was on federal supervised release at the time, was trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine from the Twin Cities area to the Twin Ports area. In September 2016, agents observed Petruk traveling from the Twin Ports to the Twin Cities, making short-duration stops at remote locations and at homes of known methamphetamine users and dealers.

On September 20, 2016, agents stopped and detained Petruk, and upon execution of a search warrant, recovered more than 800 grams of methamphetamine hidden in a compartment under the hood of Petruk’s vehicle. Further searches of locations in Duluth and Superior, Wisconsin, yielded a loaded 9mm handgun, methamphetamine, cash, digital scales, packaging materials, and other drug-trafficking paraphernalia.

Petruk has multiple prior state court convictions and two prior federal convictions. In September 2006, he pleaded guilty in federal district court to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in prison. In July 2015, Petruk was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of corruptly attempting to obstruct an official proceeding and was sentenced to 46 months in prison.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Duluth Police Department, the Superior, Wisconsin Police Department, and the Lake Superior Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allen A. Slaughter and Benjamin Bejar prosecuted the case.

Petruk faces sentencing on October 18, 2017. The maximum penalty for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The maximum penalty for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine is 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

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