Peace Garden News

Barrett Clair Prody, a 52-year-old former businessman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been sentenced to 190 months in federal prison. This sentencing comes after he was found guilty of leading a large-scale cocaine distribution enterprise, among other offenses. The decision was handed down by Chief Judge Peter Welte in the United States District Court, with the sentence also including five years of supervised release and a $300 special assessment fee.

Court documentation reveals that Prody was at the helm of a cocaine distribution ring in the Fargo-Moorhead area for nearly four years, during which his organization circulated up to 25 kilograms of cocaine. Financial probes indicated that Prody accrued hundreds of thousands of dollars from drug proceeds, which he allegedly laundered through what appeared to be legitimate business accounts. The illicit earnings were used to finance a condominium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, rent an apartment in Medellin, Colombia, and invest over $100,000 in a financial account. Post-arrest in April 2024, Prody is reported to have attempted to obstruct justice by instructing a third party to transfer ownership of his assets to evade forfeiture.

Rafael Mattei, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division, commented, "Barrett Prody pushed a substantial amount of cocaine into Fargo and Moorhead, with little concern for the lives impacted and families destroyed by this poisonous product." He emphasized the disregard traffickers have for the consequences of drug use.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Kopp also stated, “Barrett Prody’s greed fueled a yearslong cocaine enterprise that profited off addiction and human suffering. Today’s sentence ensures accountability for his crimes.”

The case is linked to Operation Winter Weather, an initiative by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) aimed at combating cocaine trafficking in North Dakota. The OCDETF employs a multi-agency strategy led by prosecutors to tackle top-tier drug traffickers and criminal organizations across the nation.

The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Cass County Drug Task Force. The prosecution was managed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Kopp and Christopher C. Myers overseeing the case.