FARGO - A convicted drug dealer who wants to sell his story will have 30 years in a federal prison to write the ending.

Michael San Miguel Jr. of Jamestown was sentenced Friday for his role in a drug conspiracy that was dubbed "Operation White Cloud," a reference to Jamestown's famous albino buffalo.

An angry U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson chastised San Miguel for thinking he could be famous, too.

"This defendant, at some point, thinks he's something more than a two-bit drug dealer," Erickson said, snarling at San Miguel.

"There's nothing special about this case. There's nothing special about what you're doing," Erickson said.

San Miguel, 29, pleaded guilty in March to four felony counts, including conspiracy and continuing criminal enterprise. Authorities said he supervised at least 14 people in Stutsman County who sold large quantities of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Myers called San Miguel "the pied piper of Jamestown," for his ability to recruit other drug dealers.

Before sentencing, San Miguel asked Erickson for mercy.

"I know I made a lot of bad decisions and horrible mistakes," San Miguel said.

One of those mistakes, the judge said, was a letter San Miguel wrote to his wife, Lindsay Kapp, who also was convicted in the conspiracy. The letter outlined San Miguel's plan to get his story published in a book or magazine. It also contained evidence of a scheme to steal money with someone else's credit card.

Erickson said those words showed that San Miguel is not accepting responsibility for his actions. The judge bumped up the sentence from 24 to 30 years.

"As a result of his ongoing creativity, he got another six years in federal prison," U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley said after the hearing.

Investigators said the case began two years ago with the arrest of Kapp during a traffic stop on Interstate 94, when police found a half-pound of meth in her car. Kapp was sentenced to 10 years in prison, after prosecutors said she failed to cooperate with authorities.

Twelve people have been convicted in the case. Jamestown Police Sgt. Troy Kelly said the arrests have reportedly driven up drug prices and cut down sales in the area.

"There's rumors now across town that people are scared to even handle drugs, which is wonderful," Kelly said.

Wrigley said Erickson did a good job of summarizing the case.

"This was a day that I wish especially we could have cameras in federal court because I think the public would like to hear those comments," Wrigley said. "I really think he characterized it exactly right. This gentleman is a thug. He's a drug trafficker."