A Twin Cities man is headed to federal prison for 15 years after admitting to a relentless heroin trafficking operation that flooded Minnesota neighborhoods with poison. Jaime Edward McClellan, a/k/a “Goldie Armani Callaway,” a/k/a “Jaime Edward McClennan,” a/k/a “Armando Blanco,” a/k/a “Red,” 32, of Brooklyn Park, Minn., pleaded guilty on October 17, 2016, to conspiring to distribute heroin and possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
Between January 2014 and December 2015, McClellan orchestrated a sprawling heroin distribution ring across Minnesota, dealing over two pounds of the deadly opioid. Federal records reveal he directly sold heroin to undercover law enforcement agents on at least four separate occasions in December 2015 alone, brazenly pushing his product until the final days before arrest.
On December 16, 2015, the operation ended when McClellan was taken into custody—found in possession of a 10mm semi-automatic pistol. As a convicted felon, he was prohibited from owning any firearm, turning his drug charges into a far steeper federal prosecution. The gun, tied directly to the drug enterprise, triggered a mandatory minimum sentence under federal law.
McClellan was convicted on two counts: one count of conspiring to distribute heroin and one count of possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The charges carry some of the harshest penalties in the federal code, especially when lethal weapons and high-volume narcotics are involved.
The takedown was the result of a massive, multi-agency manhunt led by the Anoka-Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Crime Task Force and the West Metro Drug Task Force. Agencies involved included the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office, Blaine Police Department, Coon Rapids Police Department, Elk River Police Department, Maple Grove Police Department, Medina Police Department, Mounds View Police Department, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Steinkamp prosecuted the case. McClellan was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. Federal authorities say the sentence sends a clear message: those who flood communities with heroin and arm themselves with illegal guns will face the full force of the law.
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Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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