St. Paul man sentenced to 20 years in drug-soaked letter mailing plot

A St. Paul man has been sentenced to two decades in federal prison in connection to a scheme to send drug-soaked letters into state prisons.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 40-year-old Walter “Disney” Davis was sentenced to 20 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, on Friday.

Prosecutors say the Minnesota Department of Corrections started an internal investigation in March 2021 after narcotics were found in several state facilities. Investigators say the evidence pointed to Davis as the source.

On April 12, 2021, Davis tried to mail six letters to state inmates on a high-quality cotton paper that was soaked in a synthetic cannabinoid substance, the attorney’s office says. However, investigators intercepted and seized the letters.

A search of Davis’ Eagan home turned up two baggies of fentanyl, digital scales, a loaded revolver and $3,000 in cash, authorities say. Inside a Maplewood apartment that Davis had ties to, authorities found more fentanyl, scales, a gun, cotton paper and the synthetic cannabinoid substance the letters had been soaked in.

According to the attorney’s office, Davis pleaded guilty to all charges three days into his trial.