ST. PAUL, Minnesota — A White Earth man has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. Dominic Ray LaFriniere, 51, was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan on October 22, 2026.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota

According to court documents, the White Earth Tribal Police Department and other law enforcement agencies began investigating LaFriniere's controlled-substance distribution activities in 2022. The investigation included a controlled purchase of methamphetamine from LaFriniere and a search of his home, but it became dormant while he was incarcerated with the Minnesota Department of Corrections, the department said. Regional Minnesota news outlet TRF News reported the same sentence, the October 22 date and the log-and-carpet concealment in its coverage of the announcement.

Source: TRF News, Oct. 23, 2026

The investigation resumed in January 2024, when law enforcement arrested LaFriniere for possessing 13 grams of methamphetamine. Officers tracked him travelling to Minneapolis in April 2024, and White Earth Tribal Police officers stopped him as he returned to the White Earth Indian Reservation and seized his truck, the department said.

Investigators searched the truck and found 900 grams of methamphetamine hidden inside a hollowed-out log and 60 grams of cocaine hidden inside a rolled-up carpet, according to the department.

"The defendant chose to traffic methamphetamine and profit off addiction. My office is committed to stopping the flow of drugs into our communities," said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. The case was investigated by the White Earth Tribal Police Department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, with assistance from other law enforcement partners, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Syngen Kanassatega, the department said.