Cass County, ND (trfnews.i234.me) — Barrett Clair Prody, 52, a former Fargo businessman and owner of JT Cigarro and O’Leary’s Pub, has been sentenced to 190 months (nearly 16 years) in federal prison for leading a large-scale cocaine distribution enterprise in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Prody’s organization distributed up to 25 kilograms of cocaine over nearly four years, laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars through his business accounts. He used drug proceeds to purchase a condominium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, rent an apartment in Medellín, Colombia, and invest over $100,000 in a financial account.
Following his arrest in April 2024, Prody attempted to obstruct justice by directing a third party to transfer ownership of his condo and investment account to avoid forfeiture.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Kopp stated, “Barrett Prody’s greed fueled a years-long cocaine enterprise that profited off addiction and human suffering. Today’s sentence ensures accountability for his crimes.”
This case is part of Operation Winter Weather, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation targeting cocaine trafficking in North Dakota.
I’m Chris Harper, and I’m reporting for TRF News.
Did you know? Facts:
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Operation Winter Weather is a multi-agency initiative aimed at dismantling high-level drug trafficking organizations in North Dakota.
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Prody’s businesses, JT Cigarro and O’Leary’s Pub, were once prominent establishments in Fargo and Moorhead.
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The case highlights the use of legitimate businesses to launder proceeds from illegal drug operations.