Nathan Hendrickson, a 37-year-old resident of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing over 500 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley on January 27, 2026. Hendrickson had pleaded guilty to the charge on October 30, 2025.
According to court records, law enforcement officers from the West Central Drug Task Force received information in late 2024 and early 2025 that Hendrickson was selling large quantities of methamphetamine. Officers conducted controlled purchases from him on three occasions in January and February. A search of his apartment on February 12 resulted in the seizure of approximately 678 grams of methamphetamine, a scale, nearly $3,000 in cash, and drug paraphernalia.
At sentencing, Judge Conley stated: “criminal conduct has been escalating.” He also noted that while Hendrickson had previously served only short sentences at the state level, he was now involved in “substantial methamphetamine distribution.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies including sheriffs’ departments from Chippewa County, Dunn County, Eau Claire County, and Buffalo County; the Eau Claire Police Department; the West Central Drug Task Force; the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation; and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Remington prosecuted the case.
Federal prosecutions like this one are part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
