POLK COUNTY, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – Jacob Gabriel Brunelle, 28, of Grand Forks, has been sentenced to 48 months in prison for second-degree sale of a controlled substance in Polk County. The sentence was handed down on Tuesday, August 20, following Brunelle’s guilty plea to the felony, which had been reduced from a first-degree charge earlier in the month.
In addition to the drug charge, Brunelle also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree driving while impaired. A separate felony charge for third-degree sale of a controlled substance was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
The case stemmed from a 2022 investigation where a U.S. Border Patrol agent observed Brunelle purchasing fentanyl pills at an East Grand Forks apartment building. Brunelle admitted to police that he acted as a “gatekeeper,” facilitating drug purchases for others.
Brunelle has already served 310 days in jail and will complete his sentence at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud. With credit for time served and under the state’s two-thirds rule, he could be eligible for supervised release in about 22 months.