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Nelson Nicholas Nunez-Acosta, Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Nebraska 2021 · New York
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Aaron Cardinale, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Nebraska 2022 · Idaho
Brisa Paniagua-Trejo, Methamphetamine Importation, Iowa 2021 · New York

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Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking in Nebraska
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Minneapolis Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking in Nebraska

Ismael Y. Toovi, a 22-year-old man from South Cambridge, Minnesota, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture. Following his release from prison, Toovi will serve five years on supervised release.

On June 18, 2021, Toovi was a passenger in an SUV driven by his co-defendant Payton Sausen, which sideswiped a semi-trailer truck on eastbound I-80 in Lancaster County. Lancaster County Sheriff’s deputies suspected Sausen was under the influence of a controlled substance after her breath test was negative for alcohol.

Toovi and Sausen denied consent to a search of the SUV but agreed to let a K9 do a sniff. The dog indicated on the SUV, which was then searched by officers. A cardboard box in the backseat area contained a total of more than 4,600 small blue pills with markings consistent with those for oxycodone.

Testing at the Nebraska Public Service Laboratory showed the pills contained fentanyl and weighed a total of 480 grams (approximately 17 ounces). Text messages found in Toovi’s cell phone and calls made by Toovi and Sausen from the Lancaster County Jail indicated Toovi and Sausen traveled to California to pick up the pills, which Toovi intended to sell in Minnesota.

Toovi’s co-defendant, Payton Sausen, pleaded guilty to the same charge in April and is scheduled for sentencing on July 15, 2022.

This case was investigated by the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The exact charges against Toovi are possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture. Toovi’s sentencing took place on [date], and he will serve 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.