Man sentenced to 6 years in prison for having more than 100K fentanyl pills

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — A man has been sentenced to six years in prison nearly two years after Bloomington police found tens of thousands of fentanyl pills in his possession.

Marcus Trice, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl earlier this year.

On Aug. 31, 2022, Trice was arrested in Bloomington for suspect fraud at a hotel.

Police learned Trice had traveled from Seatle to the Twin Cities that night and searched his belongings. Officers found 11 large vitamin bottles wrapped in clothing inside his suitcase. The bottles were filled with more than 100,000 fentanyl pills — weighing roughly 24 pounds, court documents say.

Data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows fentanyl was involved in more than 90% of all opioid-related deaths and more than 60% of all overdose deaths in the state in 2022.

Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose , according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Trice's prison sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release.