Eagle River residents charged in Oneida County fentanyl trafficking case

Three Eagle River residents are facing felony charges in Oneida County after a traffic stop on Jan. 17 led to the discovery of more than 100 grams of fentanyl and allegations of a drug trafficking operation between Chicago and northern Wisconsin. According to court records, Susan Eleanor Cody, 74, Barry Duane Clure, 69, and Patrick Michael Menting, 63, have each been charged with possession with intent to deliver fentanyl (greater than 50 grams) as a party to a crime, a Class C felony. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

According to the criminal complaints, a drug task force investigator with the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office was alerted by Vilas County authorities on Jan. 17 that a vehicle with an expired registration was traveling back to the North Woods. According to the complaints, investigators had information that individuals associated with the vehicle may be trafficking large amounts of fentanyl.

A traffic stop was initiated on U.S. Highway 8 East, according to the complaints.
The complaints state that Clure told investigators that he and his passengers were traveling back to Vilas County after visiting Antigo to look at shoes. However, after a drug detection K-9 arrived at the scene he admitted there was heroin inside the vehicle and on his person, stating he believed the amount was approximately 2 ounces. He also said there were approximately three gem baggies in his wallet containing what he described as heroin. In the complaints, investigators note that individuals commonly refer to both heroin and fentanyl interchangeably.

During a search of Clure’s person, investigators found small clear plastic gem baggies containing a white-ish tan powdery substance in his wallet and items of drug paraphernalia.

The same substance, later identified as fentanyl, was also found in Menting’s and Cody’s jacket pockets, according to the complaints.

During interviews at the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, all three defendants provided information about a trip to Chicago to purchase drugs.

According to the complaints, Cody stated that she, Clure, and Menting had left the Vilas County area on Jan. 16, the day before the traffic stop, and traveled to Chicago “for the purpose of purchasing ‘dope.’” When asked to specify what “dope” meant, Cody stated they were purchasing heroin. She later indicated the substance was most likely fentanyl mixed with heroin.

Cody told investigators she had been purchasing controlled substances from an individual she described as an African American female in a Chicago parking lot for approximately five to six years, later revising that timeframe to approximately ten years. While Cody initially denied purchasing fentanyl on this trip, she later admitted that she obtained fentanyl from the purchase in Chicago.

Cody stated she sometimes sold fentanyl to both Clure and Menting, identifying them by their first names. She initially said she sold approximately one to two bags per week, about 0.5 grams of fentanyl per bag, but later stated she potentially sold up to five bags and believed she had sold fentanyl to both Clure and Menting for approximately one and a half years. Cody said both men would purchase fentanyl every day or at least every other day from her.

According to Clure’s interview, Cody contacted him a couple of days before the traffic stop requesting assistance traveling to Chicago. Clure stated he had been involved in a crash in Oneida County on Jan. 16, at approximately 11:24 a.m., and indicated that following this crash, he, Cody, and Menting began traveling to Chicago. Clure indicated the fentanyl found in his wallet following the transaction in Chicago was payment for driving Clure’s vehicle to Chicago for the purpose of purchasing and obtaining illegal controlled substances and transporting them back to the Vilas County and Oneida County areas.

Menting told investigators he provided $320 of his own money to contribute to the $2,000 total spent on the purchase. Menting stated that Clure had not provided any money to purchase the suspected fentanyl; however, Cody provided approximately $1,680 to complete the total amount of $2,000.

Menting stated he occasionally sold fentanyl to three individuals within the Vilas County area, and that his last sale of fentanyl was approximately two to three days prior to the interview. When Menting sold fentanyl to individuals, he charged between $20 to $30 per bag, with approximately 0.5 grams of fentanyl per bag, according to the complaints.

Menting stated that when he ran out of fentanyl, he would contact Cody, and Menting would purchase approximately eleven bags per week from Cody. He stated he had purchased fentanyl at this rate for approximately one and a half years from Cody and that when he purchased fentanyl from Cody, he paid approximately $40 per bag.

Menting advised he personally utilized approximately four bags of fentanyl, which were 0.5 grams each, by the method of snorting.

According to the complaints, the following seized items tested positive for fentanyl:

0.5 grams found in Cody’s wallet

0.2 grams found in Cody’s front right jacket pocket

119.8 grams (in two bags containing 98 and 69 gem baggies) found on Menting’s person

4.5 grams found on Menting’s person

1.3 grams found in Clure’s wallet

According to court records, Clure and Menting made their initial appearances in Oneida County Circuit Court on Jan. 20 appearing before Judge Mary Sowinski. Cody made her initial appearance before Sowinski three days later on Jan. 23. Bond was set at $500,000 cash for all three defendants and they were ordered to have no contact with each other.

Adjourned initial appearances in all three cases are set for February.