Canadian man sentenced for international fentanyl crimes

GRAND FORKS — A Quebec, Canada, man was sentenced to 22 years in prison for federal crimes related to fentanyl distribution and money laundering.

According to a press release from the North Dakota district of the U. S. Attorney’s Office, 43-year-old Xuan Cahn Nguyen was extradited to the U.S. from Canada on Jan. 6, 2021.

On May 31, 2022, Nguyen pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute and import controlled substances and controlled substance analogues resulting in serious bodily injury or death.

Nguyen acknowledged that he assisted Daniel Vivas Ceron and Jason Berry with their international operation of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue distribution, the release said. The operation was run from inside the Drummond Correctional Institution in Drummondville, Quebec.

Berry’s sentencing is scheduled for July 24, and Ceron’s sentencing is scheduled for July 25.

Nguyen’s case is part of Operation Denial, an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation into international fentanyl trafficking.

The investigation began in North Dakota on Jan. 3, 2015, after an overdose death in Grand Forks, the release said.

Through Operation Denial, 31 defendants have been charged in North Dakota and three have been charged in Oregon. Nearly $1 million in cash and property have been forfeited from organization members, the release said.

Jian Zhang, from China, is currently a fugitive in this transnational investigation. In 2021, a reward of up to $5 million was offered for any information that leads to Zhang’s arrest.

North Dakota agencies involved in the investigation include: North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, IRS Criminal Investigation Fargo Field Office, Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force and Grand Forks Police Department.

When Nguyen gets out of prison, he will be on supervised release for three years.