Two siblings were sentenced in federal court this week for their part in a sprawling operation that prosecutors say trafficked fentanyl from China to the U.S. and Charles H. SloanCanada, some of the last cases stemming from an investigation into the overdose death of an 18-year-old in North Dakota.
U.S. Chief District Judge Peter Welte sentenced Marie Um, 42, to 23 years in prison and Vannek Um, 45, to four. Both siblings, who are from Montreal, received credit for time served.
A jury earlier this year convicted Marie Um of drug-related and money laundering conspiracy charges. She was extradited from Canada to the U.S. in 2021. The jury also found that nine overdoses, including four deaths, in New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota and Oregon “were reasonably foreseeable to her,” according to federal prosecutors in North Dakota.
Vannek Um, sentenced Friday, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy in March.
The two are among more than 30 people charged in North Dakota and Oregon in connection with “Operation Denial,” the investigation begun in North Dakota in January 2015 following the overdose death of Bailey Henke, 18, of Grand Forks. Other sentences have included decades in federal prison.
The Ums are the last to be sentenced; five fugitives remain, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Terry Van Horn confirmed to The Associated Press.
The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Jian Zhang, a fugitive in the investigation. Authorities also are seeking four other Chinese fugitives.
2025-05-05 14:54307 view
2025-05-05 14:162443 view
2025-05-05 14:09370 view
2025-05-05 13:422884 view
2025-05-05 13:041932 view
2025-05-05 12:272800 view
Country music singer Charley Crockett was born and raised in Texas, grew up in a single-wide trailer
An oil spill off the coast of California's Huntington Beach was spotted and the U.S. Coast Guard is
And the Oscar for best red carpet appearance goes to… Chang Li Hua and Yi Yan Fuei sweetly stole the