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South Minneapolis Gang Members Sentenced For Violent Drug Trafficking

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Five south Minneapolis gang members have been sentenced to prison for a violent drug trafficking conspiracy.

The five men - Alkwan Lawson-Holiday, Le'Keith Rayford, Kenneth Thompson, Maurice Johnson, and Leonardo Woodward - were either members or associated with the 10z/20z street gangs. According to their guilty pleas, they joined the gang in order to earn money; they distributed crack cocaine, heroin, and marijuana.

Rayford, Thompson, Johnson, and Woodard also used illegal firearms to protect their drugs from rivals. Rayford, Thompson, and Woodard were convicted of possessing a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Rayford's maximum sentence was 78 months in prison, Thompson's maximum sentence was 100 months, and Woodard could serve a maximum of 51 months in prison. Johnson, a 29 year-old from Minneapolis, was convicted of using a firearm in relation to drug trafficking and sentenced to 60 months in prison.

However, Lawson-Holiday - a 30 year-old from Brooklyn Park - was convicted of distributing a controlled substance and will serve 57 months in prison. He was sentenced Friday.

Thompson, Johnson, and Woodard were sentenced in late 2018 while Rayford was sentenced in March 2019.

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