Minnesota Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Andrew Benvie, 43, Frazee, Minnesota pleaded guilty and was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 8 years in prison for possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine intended for distribution. Benvie's prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

On February 11, 2025, Superior Police Department officers responded to a call about an intoxicated driver. Officers found Benvie in his car at a local gas station and identified him as the alleged intoxicated driver. When officers searched Benvie's vehicle, they found approximately 270 grams of methamphetamine and 27 grams of fentanyl pre-packaged for distribution. Officers also found a handgun between the driver's seat and center counsel.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson classified Benvie's armed drug trafficking as very serious misconduct. The seriousness of Benvie's misconduct, coupled with his aggravated criminal history, led Judge Peterson to the 8-year sentence.

The charge against Benvie was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, and the Superior Police Department. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force is comprised of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Glinzak prosecuted this case.

Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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