Minneapolis man receives 20 year sentence for dealing fentanyl-laced heroin at encampment

A Minneapolis man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday.

Anthony Akemu Abari, 41, was convicted in January 2022 of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and illegal possession of a firearm in connection to events dating back to 2018.

Court documents say Abari and others regularly supplied fentanyl-laced heroin to people living in a homeless encampment along Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis. At times, Abari and other defendants in the case stopped at the encampment on a daily basis to distribute drugs.

Throughout 2019, law enforcement seized evidence connected to Abari and other defendants, including 498 grams of heroin laced with fentanyl, phones connecting Abari to drug dealing, and a gun.

Kevin Termell Green, 38, was convicted on similar charges to Abari in January 2022, the DOJ says. Green’s sentencing date wasn’t released Wednesday.

The DOJ release also says Relondo Devon Hall, 37, distributed fentanyl-laced heroin at the homeless encampment, adding both Abari and Hall received the drugs from Green.

The release also did not include further information about Hall’s court schedule.

The Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case.