Freeport, Minnesota Woman Apprehended in Mexico Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking Charges in North Dakota

FARGO – United States Attorney Mac Schneider, District of North Dakota, announced that Deanna Marie Gerads, age 33, appeared in Federal court on March 26, 2024, in Fargo and pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances before Chief District Court Judge Peter D. Welte.  Gerads is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.  

Gerads was apprehended in Mexico on August 1, 2023, by Mexican immigration authorities and deported from Mexico. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was instrumental in providing information that led to the apprehension of Gerads, who had been a fugitive for over a year. 

This case is part of “Operation Unfinished Business II,” an Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation into the international trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl.

This case is being investigated by the Central Minnesota Violent Offenders Task Force (CMVOTF), Federal Bureau of Investigation, St. Cloud Police Department, Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, Sartell Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office, Morrison County Sheriff’s Office, Internal Revenue Service – CID, Fargo Police Department, West Fargo Police Department, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher C. Myers and Alex Stock, District of North Dakota.

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