California Man Sentenced to 19 Years for Drug Trafficking and Money Laundering Conspiracy
Brad D. Schimel, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on Feb. 10, 2026, Joathan Colula, 33, was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and for conspiracy to commit money laundering. A jury had found Colula guilty of both charges on July 17, 2025, following a nine-day trial.
Colula will be on supervised release for an additional 60 months upon completion of his prison sentence.
According to court documents, Colula was a source of supply for an organization that had distribution hubs throughout the Midwest, including in Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, the greater Chicago area, and Northern Indiana. From these hubs, Colula and his fellow conspirators distributed kilogram quantities of cocaine, thousands of fentanyl pills, and pounds of methamphetamine.
To disguise his illegal activity, Colula laundered the proceeds of his drug trafficking through various business bank accounts. Colula also coordinated the receipt of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash payments that were flown from the Midwest to California.
On Nov. 29, 2022, case agents arrested 15 individuals associated with the organization and executed search warrants at locations in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and California. The search warrants resulted in the seizure of over 10 kilograms of fentanyl, approximately 7.5 kilograms of cocaine, more than one kilogram of methamphetamine, nearly two kilograms of heroin, ecstasy and oxycodone, approximately 170 pounds of marijuana, marijuana edibles, over $450,000 in cash, and 19 firearms.
In pronouncing the sentence, Chief U.S. District Judge Pamela Pepper noted this was a large-scale, multi-state, multi-drug operation in which Colula played an integral role. She also noted that Colula was one of the longest running members of the group. A co-defendant, Michael Williams, also was found guilty at July 2025 trial. Williams operated the organization’s primary stash location in Minneapolis. He and others mixed, tested, and packaged controlled substances, including kilogram quantities of fentanyl. He was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the harm caused by large-scale drug trafficking operations and the meaningful accountability that follows,” said DEA Chicago Field Division Special Agent in Charge Todd Smith. “Through close coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, we dismantled a multi-state organization responsible for distributing dangerous drugs throughout the Midwest."
“Virtually everyone knows someone whose life has been utterly destroyed by the extraordinarily dangerous drugs that have inundated our communities of every shape and size,” said U.S. Attorney Schimel. “Modern day drug traffickers have dramatically changed the very nature of our world with the violence, crime and death that follows in their wake. The judge sent the clear message that our community has had enough of the suffering wrought by these criminals.”
"The Milwaukee Police Department is proud of the role our officers played in this case and grateful for the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in this investigation. Drug traffickers bring great harm to our community and must be held accountable.” said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman. “MPD values our collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement partners in criminal cases like this to build a safer city for everyone to live, work and play.”
The case was investigated by agents and officers from the DEA, Milwaukee Police Department, West Allis Police Department, South Milwaukee Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice - Division of Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. The Internal Revenue Service and the Apple Valley Police Department also participated in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elizabeth Monfils and Erica Lounsberry prosecuted the case. The investigation was supported by the North Central High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
