U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Andy Luger says his office is “doubling down on all gangs” after a high-level gang leader was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to more than 19 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy along with illegal drug and weapons trafficking.

“Everyone in Minnesota should be aware of the harm that these gangs are inflicting in our communities,” Luger said. “If you take on this kind of activity — fentanyl, shootings, firearms, trafficking — you’re going to face serious prison time.”

During the court hearing, prosecutors said Montez Brown was one of the first gang leaders to bring fentanyl into Minneapolis for illegal distribution. One prosecutor said Brown was a member of the “Highs” gang, which helped create an “open-air drug market” along West Broadway Avenue on the city’s north side.

From the bench, before sentencing Brown, U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Brasel said, “Gangs have created a public health crisis, and gang wars have not only caused exponential trauma on the north side but across all of Minneapolis, and it’s time to stop it.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Minnesota has charged nearly 80 gang members over the past year and a half.