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One of the two Minneapolis men found in February with a kilogram of cocaine and more than 44,000 pills containing fentanyl on Interstate 35 in Freeborn County was sentenced Thursday in federal court to 11 years and three months in prison.

Authorities have stated Cortez Ananias Williams and his cousin, Savontray Orlando Dwayne Collins, were reportedly transporting the drugs from California to Minnesota. The two men were being investigated after informants told an investigator that Williams made regular trips to California and would return with between 50,000 and 100,000 fentanyl pills.

In late-January, officers attempted to interdict Williams upon his return home from one of his trips but narrowly missed him at the airport, according to court documents. They did, however, get surveillance images from the airport and found both men wheeling “distinctive” blue suitcases.

In mid-February, location data from Williams’ phone showed he again traveled to California and was on his way back a day later by car.

Investigators stationed themselves on Interstate 35 along the Minnesota and Iowa border and in Freeborn County pulled the vehicle over after observing multiple traffic infractions.

In addition to Williams and Collins being in the vehicle, there was also a woman and a juvenile male.

Officers ultimately went on to search the vehicle and found 4.43 kilograms of blue “M30” pills containing fentanyl and 994 grams of cocaine, which were packed in the same luggage in the trunk.

Williams in June pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine and an additional count was dismissed. Collins pleaded guilty in October.

Williams’ lawyer motioned for a downward departure from the sentencing guidelines in the case based on various files and records, including the presentence report, letters of support and psychological evaluation.

Prosecutors, on the other hand, argued for 144 months in prison.

In a document that outlined their position for sentencing, the government stated Williams’ cell phone and social media accounts confirmed his drug-trafficking activities and also reflected a major role he had in the possession and trafficking of firearms.

They stated when Williams was arrested in March on the federal complaint, a gun was found that had his DNA on it, and they noted he has had gang ties since he was a teenager.

Court documents stated when law enforcement began looking at Williams in fall 2022, it was because of his connection to an armed burglary and home invasion in Brooklyn Center in September. Williams was tied to the events after his DNA was found on a spent shell casing near the burglarized residence.

Two of the suspects in that case had fired guns at the pursuing officer.

An image was also found on Williams’ cell phone from a few hours before the burglary showing him wearing clothing that matched one of the suspects.

Though Williams was not believed to have been in the vehicle that fired at police, he was a co-conspirator and possessed a firearm that aided in the furthering of the incident.

They also referenced an incident that occurred on the day Williams posted bond in the Freeborn County case, stating Williams was captured on video surveillance with a group of men who got into an argument with a store clerk in St. Paul about wearing face masks in the store. As the group left together in a vehicle, one of the other men shot and killed the clerk.

During the investigation in that case, Williams’ DNA was found on another firearm seized from the residence of one of the other men.

“Williams has proven, time and time again, that he is a danger to the community and deserves a significant sentence,” the prosecution wrote. “In terms of the charge to which he pleaded guilty, Williams was not a mere street-level dope dealer moving modest quantities. He operated as a significant supplier and trafficker of kilograms’ worth of deadly fentanyl into Minnesota, which was almost certainly trafficked from Mexico by dangerous cartels.”

They stated the fentanyl pills have “become a scourge on communities across Minnesota and have become a revenue source for violent criminal enterprises, like street gangs.”

The government stated it disagreed with the defense that there were grounds for a departure in the case and said Williams instead needed a lengthy prison term to cut ties with the negative influences in his life.

In addition to his prison time, Williams will serve five years of supervised release.