St. Cloud’s Macalla “Kayla” Knott was sentenced to 26 years in prison for her role in smuggling drugs and laundering money into the Midwest from Mexico. She is one of several people from central Minnesota facing a prison sentence for their involvement in the smuggling.
Knott, 32, was the leader of the central Minnesota group that helped Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman conspire to bring fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine into the northern Midwest, according to court documents. She was sentenced during a hearing at the U.S. District Court in Fargo.
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Guzman was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 for drug trafficking work spanning across more than two decades.
Knott and her associates, according to court documents, helped traffic roughly 500 grams of methamphetamine and more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States Midwest region. St. Cloud’s Knott pleaded guilty to her charges roughly two years ago.
Mexican drug trafficker Joaquin Guzman Loera aka “el Chapo Guzman” (C), is escorted by marines as he is presented to the press on February 22, 2014 in Mexico City. The Sinaloa cartel leader – the most wanted by US and Mexican anti-drug agencies – was arrested early this morning by Mexican marines at a resort in Mazatlan, northern Mexico. AFP PHOTO/Alfredo Estrella (Photo by Alfredo ESTRELLA / AFP) (Photo by ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images)
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The operation was also a family affair, as Knott’s father, Jeffrey Knott, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for his involvement.
In prison, Knott is joining Kayla Schutz of St. Augusta, Oliver Dylla of Avon, James Garner of Little Falls, Melanie Quick of St. Cloud, Joseph Myers Jr. of Elk River, Robert Ratka of Melrose, Deanna Gerads of Freeport and David Nowlan of Waite Park. These people’s sentences vary in length from two-and-a-half years to 11 years in prison.
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St. Cloud’s Tyler Pelzer is awaiting sentencing for his involvement, according to court records.
Waite Park’s Nowlan, who was also sentenced last week, was also found to be using firearms despite previous convictions. Court records state he used guns to help advance the group’s drug trafficking goals.
Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: El Chapo drug trafficking case sends St. Cloud woman, others to prison