Cartel-linked Drug Trafficker Gets 16 Years in Prison

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A man who led a large-scale drug trafficking operation moving methamphetamine and fentanyl into the Midwest has been sentenced to more than 16 years (200 months) in federal prison.

Forty-seven-year-old Juan Carlos Felix pleaded guilty in November 2025 to his role in a drug trafficking network that moved large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl from California into Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska.

Authorities say Felix supervised and directed multiple people in the Midwest, coordinating drug exchanges and collecting payments.

Authorities say Felix’s operation was connected to the Sinaloa Cartel and was based out of Minneapolis, but spanned several Midwest states.