Three more people have been charged in connection with the seizure of 280,000 fentanyl pills — described as the largest such seizure in state history — that were sent from Arizona to the Twin Cities metro area tucked inside stuffed animals.

The seizure, which amounts to 66 pounds of fentanyl pills with an estimated value of over $2.2 million, was the result of an investigation by the Washington County Drug Task Force, Dakota County Drug Task Force, Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.

Nine people, all from either St. Paul or Minneapolis, have been charged in U.S. District Court in St. Paul with conspiracy to distribute the potent synthetic opioid between August 2022 and December 2023. Several of the defendants traveled to Phoenix to obtain fentanyl pills from suppliers, hid the pills inside stuffed animals and mailed them to addresses in and around the Twin Cities, the charges say.

Prosecutors announced this week charges against Da’Shawn Natori Domena, 24, and Phyu Win Jame, 27, both of Minneapolis, and Amaya Tiffany-Nicole Mims, 23, of St. Paul.

The others, charged in December, are Cornell Montez Chandler Jr., 24, Robiel Lee Williams, 23, Quijuan Hosea Bankhead, 30, and Fo’Tre Devine White, 30, all of St. Paul; and Stardasha Christina Davenport-Mounger, 24, and Shardai Rayshell Allen, 24, both of Minneapolis.

White was also charged with possession of a firearm as a felon and possession of a machine gun. The indictment alleges that White possessed two pistols, one of which was equipped with an auto sear, or “switch,” which converts semiautomatic firearms to fully automatic weapons. White is banned from possessing firearms because of a 2021 felony conviction out of Lake County, Ind., according to charges.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, just 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a potentially lethal dose.

Minnesota had 1,002 opioid-involved overdose deaths in 2022, according to the state Department of Health, and fentanyl contributed to 92 percent of them.

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By JONEL ALECCIA (AP Health Reporter)

Ground cinnamon sold by U.S. discount retailers is contaminated with high levels of lead and should be discarded, federal health officials said Wednesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said cinnamon sold by stores including the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar contains lead at levels that could be unsafe for people, particularly children, with prolonged exposure to the spice. The agency urged suppliers to recall the products voluntarily.

Cinnamon products included in the agency’s safety alert include the La Fiesta brand sold by La Superior and SuperMercados; Marcum brand sold by Save A Lot stores; MK brands sold by SF Supermarket; Swad brand sold by Patel Brothers; El Chilar brand sold by La Joya Morelense; and Supreme Tradition brand sold by Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.

“Removing the ground cinnamon products in this alert from the market will prevent them from contributing elevated amounts of lead to the diets of children,” the alert said.

Consumers should not buy the products and should throw away any containers they have at home, the agency said.

Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores have removed the cinnamon from their store shelves, a company spokesperson said. Customers can return products to nearby stores for a refund.

FDA officials launched what they called a “targeted survey” of cinnamon products sold in discount stores after an October 2023 recall of lead-tainted cinnamon applesauce pouches that sickened nearly 500 U.S. children.

The ground cinnamon products in Wednesday’s notice had lead levels of 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million, far lower than the puree pouches, which contained 2,270 parts per million to 5,110 parts per million of lead.

No illnesses or other health effects have been reported in connection with the new ground cinnamon alert, the FDA said.

There is no safe level of lead exposure for humans. Long-term exposure of lead can cause problems, especially in growing children, including learning disabilities, behavioral difficulties and lower IQ.

The FDA monitors foods for lead levels, but the U.S. government doesn’t broadly limit lead in food products. The agency sent a letter to all cinnamon manufacturers, processors, distributors and facility operators in the U.S. reminding them they’re required to prevent contamination from chemical hazards in food, including spices.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

This is Chris Anderson’s first year as head coach for the White Bear Lake boys hockey team, but he has been on the Bears’ staff for 16 years in total.

And he’s never seen a season like the Bears have experienced in regards to their health — or lack thereof — this season.

Anderson rattled off six varsity players who missed multiple games during the regular season. That includes junior first-line winger Jack Stanius and top-tier defenseman Blake Eckerle.

It’s difficult to be at your best without your most productive players. It’s also tough to establish cohesion when the lineups are, out of necessity, constantly shuffling.

“When Stanius got hurt, I swear I had a different line every single week,” White Bear Lake senior center Nolan Roed said. “Because we were trying to find something that would fit.”

Still, White Bear Lake managed to finish atop the Suburban East Conference standings alongside Stillwater. But it wasn’t until late in the season, right before the sectional tournament, that the Bears truly felt they started to hit their stride. Specifically, that moment came when Stanius returned to the lineup.

“He kind of created a spark the last week. So getting healthy was the turning point. And then the guys, at the same time, they were buying into our system, buying into our process,” Anderson said. “But now, with Jack back, understanding the focus goes up at the end of the year. Between getting healthy and buying in, and then just enjoying the process, that’s kind of been the turning point. It came late. It’s what you want. You want to peak at the right time, and we’re starting to do that.”

White Bear Lake was a wrecking ball in the Section 4 tournament. The Bears won their two most recent games, against Stillwater and Hill-Murray, by combined score of 8-1 to get to state, where they’ll open as the No. 4 seed with a quarterfinal date at 8 p.m. Thursday at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul against fifth-seeded Grand Rapids.

Hill-Murray outshot White Bear Lake, but Anderson noted a majority of the Pioneers’ shots came from the outside. That’s a product of White Bear Lake’s deep, talented defensive core which, when healthy, can truly limit an opponent’s Grade-A chances.

“And you add Leo in there, it really makes it difficult for other teams,” Anderson said.

Leo, of course, is White Bear Lake junior Leo Gabriel, one of the state’s top netminders. Gabriel pitched a 35-save shutout against Hill-Murray.

“Obviously with Leo in net, we have a chance to win every game,” Roed said. “I think everybody in the state and on our team knows that, so that gives us a lot of confidence.”

Anderson said every year White Bear Lake’s expectation is to reach the state tournament. That was true this year, as well, even after the Bears graduated such a talented senior class from a year ago.

Roed credited this year’s group for buying in and carrying a high-level want factor. That, he said, is why the Bears will be at the X on Thursday.

Confidence is something the Bears are bursting with heading into state. As (seemingly) almost everyone knows by now, White Bear Lake has dropped 19 consecutive state quarterfinal games in this event over the years. But the stars seemed to have aligned for the Bears to make some real noise this weekend in downtown St. Paul. The defense and Gabriel are playing lights out. The offense has hit another gear with Stanius back in the lineup.

The White Bear Lake team right now is simply on a different level than the one that competed earlier this season. And everyone in the state will get a reintroduction to this group on Thursday.

“It’s a team that is confident they’re finding ways to win. They bought in, they’re playing for each other, they’re playing for the right reasons,” Anderson said. “And while they don’t have any state tournament experience, they’ve got a ton of game experience now. Now that we’re healthy, they’re going to make a good run.”

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Christian Ramirez was eager to play against Minnesota United at Allianz Field on Saturday, but the Columbus Crew forward was surprised his substitution into the match came at halftime.

“I had a bit of chills coming on,” said Ramirez, who scored 74 goals for MNUFC from 2014-18. “The ovation. … A flashback to hearing my name being called and the crowd, hearing a familiar voice (public-address announcer Tony DeLorenzo) doing it. It was special.”

Ramirez nearly contributed to a goal in an opening sequences of the second half and had his one shot attempt blocked by Loons defender Micky Tapias in the 85th minute of a 1-1 draw.

Ramirez had not played in Minnesota since being traded to LAFC in summer of 2018. He had been looking forward to his return for years and gave prayer signs to the supporters in The Wonderwall after the tie.

“It was special,” Ramirez said. “I wanted to full go over there, but some of the logistics of it don’t let me. But hopefully I get to do that in the future. They know how special they are to me and how special to finally be able to come back was.”

Ramirez came back to Minnesota with his wife Valerie and two daughters, Zara and Nova.

“I’m thankful for this city and the opportunity to not only Dr. Bill (McGuire) gave me, but Manny (Lagos) and Carl (Craig) and everybody that has been a part of it,” Ramirez said. “Just seeing everybody was really special.”

One Loons fan in particular reciprocated that thankfulness. She made a collage of the pictures she had taken with Ramirez during his time in Minnesota and wrote: “Ramirez: You are the reason I fell in love with soccer in 2015.”

Salute to Alonso

Recently retired midfielder Ozzie Alonso was honored by the Seattle Sounders on Saturday, and from afar, two of his former United teammates remembered what Alonso meant to the Loons from 2019-21.

Alonso joined MNUFC off waivers in January 2019 and came in alongside center back Ike Opara, right back Romain Metanire and goalkeeper Vito Mannone.

“A transformation,” Michael Boxall said of a run of four straight appearances in MLS Cup Playoffs..

Boxall saw Alonso raise the level of play in games as well as during short-sided scrimmages or rondo passing drills. Alonso, a Cuban defector, demanded respect.

“If players were taking it too casually or being lazy with balls or not approaching it with the way he thought it should be approached, he may or may not have lashed out at someone,” Boxall said with a laugh. “For someone that has that high performance and winning (history), you are not going to accept mediocrity.”

Growing up in Federal Way, Wash., Hassani Dotson “idolized” Alonso as well as forward Fredy Montero. Dotson’s dad would tell him to watch how Alonso dictated the defensive midfield.

When Dotson was drafted by the Loons in 2019, the rookie got to observe the 10-year veteran Alonso up close and person on a daily basis.

“He would slow the tempo down when we needed it, especially that first year (2019) when we didn’t have as much possession,” Dotson said. “That type of behavior, to be calm when the team needs to settle down and then amp everyone up was the biggest difference I noticed. I tried to do similar things, but it didn’t have the same effect. I learned about presence.”

Update on absences

Winger Bongi Hlongwane (fitness) has been a full participate in training sessions early this week and might be in line for a season debut Saturday at Orlando City. “He’s doing well,” interim head coach Cameron Knowles said Tuesday.

The three other sidelined midfielders might remain out this weekend.

Emanuel Reynoso (knee) is a candidate to join full training sessions by the end of this week. Robin Lod (calf) and Franco Fragapane (calf) were rehabbing off to the side on Tuesday and are unlikely to play in Florida.

Briefly

MNUFC signed first-round draft pick Hugo Bacharach, 22, to one-year contract for 2024, with three club option years through 2027, club said Tuesday. The Loons have worked out the amount of training compensation to Villarreal; Bacharach was an academy player with that Spanish club before attending college in the U.S. … Minnesota Aurora head coach Nicole Lukic will leave the amateur women’s soccer club the end of March, the club said Wednesday. Lukic, who led Aurora to two undefeated regular seasons and playoff runs, has accepted a position with U.S. Soccer as director of talent identification for women’s youth national teams.