Two Face Federal Charges after Iron Range Drug Bust

Two men will be prosecuted in federal court following a drug bust on the Iron Range in early March. 

Itasca County Attorney John J. Muhar announced Wednesday that 30-year-old Dwayne Jones Jr., of Detroit, and 28-year-old Nicholas Blackbear, of Bemidji, will face federal charges. 

Muhar says the reason to prosecute the men in federal court is that increased penalties would likely come as a result of a conviction. 

The state charges against Jones Jr. and Blackbear will be dismissed. 

Both men were charged last week in U.S. District Court with Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin. 

If they are convicted, they face a maximum of 40 years behind bars.  

Blackbear, Jones Jr., and 20-year-old Johsua Hunter, of Grand Rapids, were arrested on March 14 after police stopped their vehicle and found around 130 grams of heroin in the trunk. 

The arrest was the result of a months-long drug investigation by the Minnesota BCA, Itasca County Sheriff’s Office and the Grand Rapids Police Department. 

Hunter will still be prosecuted at the state level.