WASHINGTON — A Grand Forks man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on Monday, June 1, for his role in a kidnapping a victim at gunpoint and holding him for ransom over an unpaid drug debt.

According to court documents, Kyle Kahalehili Maez-Schaack, 33, pleaded guilty on Feb. 26 to kidnapping, drug trafficking conspiracy, brandishing a firearm during the kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Maez-Schaack kidnapped the victim in the early morning hours of March 5, 2024, over a $6,000 drug debt for 500 grams of methamphetamine. Maez-Schaack and others took the victim at gunpoint from Fargo to Moorhead, Minnesota, where the victim was held for ransom and ordered to call friends and family for money. The victim was eventually able to escape after being left unattended in the Moorhead residence.

According to statements made in court, Maez-Schaack was a drug distributor for a co-defendant and was often used as the muscle for the drug trafficking organization that primarily distributed methamphetamine in the Red River Valley and Devils Lake area of North Dakota.

“Too often drug trafficking is perpetuated by violent crime, as shown by Maez-Schaack,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas Chase for the District of North Dakota. “Our office, working alongside our federal and state partners, will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute those committing violent acts and trafficking illegal drugs in our community.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and ATF, and prosecuted by the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section, and assistant U.S. attorneys Jake Rodenbiker and Richard Lee.