Minnesota woman sentenced to 26 years for leading drug-smuggling ring tied to El Chapo's cartel

A St. Cloud woman has received a 26-year prison term for leading a smuggling operation that funneled into the Midwest large amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine supplied by one of the world's most notorious drug cartels.

Macalla Knott, 32, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Fargo, N.D., last week, having pleaded guilty nearly two years ago to conspiracy to possess, import into the United States and distribute illicit drugs, and international money laundering conspiracy.

Knott's attorney, Tanya Martinez, said Tuesday that she agreed with presiding Judge Peter Welted "that this is a heartbreaking case. My client is a breath of fresh air. She regrets her involvement in this case and looks forward to building her life in the future."

In April, a federal judge handed down a 7½-year sentence to Knott's father, 53-year-old Jeffrey Robert Knott, for his part in the operation that spanned from January 2019 until January 2022. Upon his release from prison, Jeffrey Knott will be under court supervision for three years.

The drugs came from Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's Sinaloa cartel in Mexico, according to prosecutors. Guzman, 67, was sentenced in 2019 to life in prison for leading a multibillion-dollar drug-trafficking enterprise that spread murder and mayhem for more than two decades.

Guzman is held in a supermax federal prison dubbed the "Alcatraz of the Rockies" in Florence, Colo.

Macalla Knott's group used violence and threats to ensure payments and conceal crimes, according to federal prosecutors. The co-conspirators, all Minnesotans, also used smartphone apps and financial transaction tactics to hide the movements of their ill-gotten proceeds.

Prison sentences also have been handed down to Kayla Marie Schutz, 31, of St. Augusta, 3⅓ years; Demian Hebert, 50, of Bloomington, 14 years; Oliver Louis Dylla, 34, of Avon, 2½ years; James Warren Garner, 24, of Little Falls, seven years; Mary Rose Thompson, 31, of Moorhead, 8⅓ years; Melanie Ann Quick, 30, of St. Cloud, nine years; Joseph Paul Myers Jr., 72, of Elk River, 11 years; Robert Jon Ratka, 42, of Melrose, seven years; Deanna Gerads, 35, of Freeport, 10 years; David Robert Nowlan, 33, of Waite Park; and Robert Blair Gjevre, 62, of Champlin, nine years.

Awaiting sentencing are Tiffany Nina Keomany, 30, of Savage; Tyler Neil Pelzer, 30, of St. Cloud; and Brady Robert Ludescher, 30, who has had various addresses in Minnesota.