SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – A man who drove to Arizona several times to mail fentanyl pills to his partner in Sioux City was convicted by a jury, after a five-day trial in federal court. Federal authorities say 33-year-old Aki Awou from Omaha, Nebraska was convicted of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and two counts of possession with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting the possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl. According to authorities, on Feb. 21, 2024, before heading to trial, Awou’s partner-in-crime, and brother, 20-year-old Karem Bol of Sioux City entered a guilty plea to five counts:

• Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
• Two counts of possession with intent to distribute.
• Aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
• Possession of firearms by a drug user
• possession of a firearm during and in furtherance of drug trafficking crime.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says evidence shows between January 2022 and May 2022, Awou traveled to the Phoenix, Arizona area where he would mail packages containing thousands of fentanyl pills to Bol’s address in Sioux City. The pills were disguised as oxycodone. The Omaha Police Department’s Gang of Intelligence Unit utilized a GPS tracker on Awou’s vehicle to pinpoint Awou’s travels and possible package locations which included addresses in Sioux City and post offices in Arizona. Authorities say postal inspectors were able to intercept a package and conduct a controlled delivery at one of the addresses located in Sioux City. Afterward, postal inspectors executed a search warrant, during which Bol was seen throwing firearms out a second-story bedroom window.

During the search, authorities identified a second location tied to both men and obtained a second search warrant for that residence. In the second location, authorities found additional illegal substances as well as documents identifying both Bol and Awou as residences of both Sioux City locations. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says the day after the search warrants took place, postal inspectors received notices of another package being delivered from Arizona to an address in Sioux City. The inspector was able to intercept the package before the delivery which revealed the package contained thousands of fentanyl pills.

The office says laboratory results revealed Awou’s fingerprints were present on three packages used as evidence and Bol’s palm print was located on the package used during the controlled delivery. The gathered evidence also identified Bol and Awou as known gang members. While awaiting sentencing, both men remain in the custody of the United States Marshal. Awou and Bol both face a minimum sentence of ten years imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine and five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The Sioux City Police Department and the Omaha Police Department were assisted by:

• The United States Postal Inspector
• DEA Tri-State Drug Task Force
• Lancaster County Sheriff’s Department
• U.S Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives