FARGO, N.D. (AP) – Two siblings were sentenced in federal court this week for their part in a sprawling operation that prosecutors say trafficked fentanyl from China to the U.S. and Canada, some of the last cases stemming from an investigation into the overdose death of an 18-year-old in North Dakota. U.S. Chief District Judge Peter Welte sentenced Marie Um,…
FARGO (KVRR/KFGO) – A federal judge in Fargo has sentenced a Columbian National to 27 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking and money laundering case. 42-year-old Daniel Ceron pleaded guilty and admitted that he and another man led an international fentanyl ring from inside a Canadian prison. They arranged shipments of the drug from China to…
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR) — The failed Fufeng wet corn milling project near Grand Forks has prompted a proposed change to jurisdiction over foreign transactions. The project was killed earlier this year when Air Force officials cited national security concerns. The plant was planned on land about 12 miles from Grand Forks Air Force Base. The Committee on Foreign Investment in…
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — A federal jury in Fargo finds a woman guilty for her role in an international drug conspiracy case. Marie Um was convicted of all counts against her in a case dubbed “Operation Denial.” Um, also known as “Angry Bird,” was indicted in 2017. She was one of three Canadian nationals extradited for selling fentanyl and similar…
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (center) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley (right)WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is in agreement with North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer about the importance of considering foreign agricultural investments from a national security position. A hearing was held by the Senate Armed Services Committee to address Chinese…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KVRR/KFGO) — Grand Forks City Council votes five to zero to scrap plans to bring the controversial Fufeng project to Grand Forks. Two members were absent. The move ends a lengthy debate over the China-based corn milling plant. It follows a letter last week from an assistant secretary of the Air Force who cited national security concerns…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KVRR) — A company with ties to China, Fufeng USA, is moving ahead with its proposed wet corn milling plant in Grand Forks. The move comes after the federal agency tasked with reviewing the project determined that the land acquisition was not a “covered transaction” and they do not have jurisdiction. The Committee on Foreign Investment in…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KVRR) — With China’s Fufeng corn milling plant proposal for Grand Forks still under government review, the city will now be the location of a new $400 million soybean crushing plant. The announcement comes from Epitome Energy and North Dakota Department of Commerce. The plant will be able to process up to 42 million bushels of soybeans…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (KVRR) — Construction is paused on the Fufeng wet corn mill development in Grand Forks as a government review of the project continues. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is doing a national security assessment. It has sent a letter to China’s Fufeng requesting a further filing and deeper examination of the facts and…
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR/AP) — Sen. Kevin Cramer says he is opposed to legislation to boost the semiconductor industry in the U.S. But the bill still advanced in the Senate by a vote of 64-32, with 60 votes needed to move ahead. The legislation is now on a glidepath to final passage in the Senate later this week. The White House…
