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Tim Nelson
St. Paul, Minn.

Duluth police and feds dismantle major drug ring

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Duluth police and federal agents said today they've finished dismantling a major drug ring, capping off a string of six drug and gun stings that have sent more than 200 people to prison.

Operation Name Change wrapped up last month, after the sentencing of former Minneapolis city council aide Al Garcia, who is serving a five-year drug sentence. He was one of more than a dozen defendants sent to prison in the drug investigation.

Federal agent Darin Nemerow said at a St. Paul news conference that the crackdown on guns and drugs in Duluth has taken criminals off the street all the way to Minneapolis.

"It's great to be able to move to other parts of the state and take out, in other words, someone like Al Garcia, who's been untouchable for 20 years," Nemerow said.

Duluth police say they've been able to indict and convict some of the city's most dangerous criminals since 2002. They say some are now doing more than 15 years in federal prison.