FARGO — Another ringleader behind a Detroit, Michigan-based drug trafficking organization who targeted two Native American reservations in North Dakota was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Fargo on Thursday.

Romel Rambus, 29, Detroit, Michigan, appeared before Chief Judge Peter Welte for sentencing for his leadership role in the operation after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and money laundering conspiracy. Welte sentenced Rambus to serve 168 months in federal prison, complete five years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment.

Rambus is the latest individual sentenced for involvement in the conspiracy, including Jonathan B. Walker and Devonsha Dabney. The convictions stem from a multi-agency investigation led by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement which learned of a drug trafficking organization affiliated with the 5674 Reub Gang, a violent street gang operating out of Michigan. The gang was involved in transporting thousands of oxycodone/fentanyl pills to North Dakota for distribution, in Bismarck, Minot, Fort Berthold Reservation and Spirit Lake Reservation. As part of this organization, in about 2015, Romel Rambus, after the death of his brother, Reuben Rambus, took over the operation and worked with the Devonsha Dabney to distribute narcotics in North Dakota.

More than 40 defendants were charged for their involvement in the drug trafficking organization and all defendants have entered guilty pleas or signed plea agreements with the intent to plead guilty.

“This sentence is another reminder to those who target tribal communities in North Dakota for distribution of dangerous drugs,” U.S. Attorney Mac Schneider said. “Instead of short-term profits, you’ll be facing a long-term stay in federal prison. Bringing this defendant and his co-conspirators to justice is the result of relentless efforts by our career prosecutors and their multi-agency law enforcement partners.”