Fridley man sentenced for possessing ecstasy

By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune

Last update: July 22, 2008 - 12:31 PM

A Fridley man found guilty of possessing ecstasy with intent to distribute the drug will spend the next 5 1/2 years in prison.

In addition to jail time, Pierre Tchy Txou Yang will be placed on three years of supervised release when his prison time is up, according to the sentence handed down Monday by U.S. District Court Judge James Rosenbaum.

Yang, 21, pleaded guilty in January to possessing 2,000 tablets of ecstasy on Oct. 19, 2007.

According to an FBI affidavit, police caught up to Yang after learning that a vehicle involved in a shooting near University and Western avenues in St. Paul belonged to him. Police set up surveillance outside Yang's home and watched as four men got out of the vehicle and entered the residence. A few minutes later, they got back in the car and attempted to leave. Officers approached and told Yang and the others to remain in the vehicle. Yang put the vehicle in reverse and sped away, the affidavit said.

Police stopped Yang about a block away and arrested him. They found a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, gang artifacts and about 2,000 pills of ecstasy, the affidavit said.