'Sell Drugsz' rapper sentenced for narcotics trafficking in Rhode Island

[January 11, 2018]  BOSTON (Reuters) - A Rhode Island rapper whose songs include "Sell Drugsz" and "Feds Watching" has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for trafficking heroin and fentanyl, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Michael Persaud, 30, who performs under the name "Montana Millz," was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty in October to seven criminal counts, according to court records.

The East Providence, Rhode Island, police had been watching Persaud for several months before arresting him early this year. They had not known of his stage name or drug-referencing songs prior to the case, said Jim Martin, a spokesman for federal prosecutors in Providence.

In a court filing seeking a lenient sentence, Persaud's lawyers cited his music career as evidence of his work ethic, without referencing "Sell Drugsz" or "Feds Watching."

"Persaud has shown an ability and a proclivity to work at legitimate jobs throughout his life and knows the value of hard work and self-sufficiency," his attorneys wrote.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

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