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Law enforcement seize almost 900 pounds of meth in Minneapolis

Two men charged in what officials said could be the largest meth bust in Minnesota history.

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900 pounds of meth recovered in Minneapolis on Monday, July 7, 2025.
Contributed / FBI

ST. PAUL — Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team and Minneapolis FBI recovered almost 900 pounds of methamphetamine in Minneapolis on Monday.

The July 7 seizure by law enforcement could possibly be the “largest meth bust in Minnesota history,” Ramsey County sheriffs said in a . Two male suspects have been arrested and charged with controlled substance crimes, the sheriff’s office said.

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Deputy Director of the FBI Dan Bongino that the bust was conducted during two traffic stops in a “hit targeting drug trafficking rings you’ll hear about soon.”

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged in a press release on Wednesday. Neither defendants have “local ties” to Minneapolis and both are “associated with larger drug sale organizations in Mexico,” the release said.

Guillermo Mercado Chaparro, 44, is charged with two counts of first-degree drug sales, and his co-defendant, Joel Casas-Santiago, 46, is charged with one count of first-degree drug sales. Hennepin County said the statutory minimum for each of the charges is 65 months. The retail value of the 889 pounds of recovered meth is estimated to be $1.7 million, according to the attorney’s office.

MethBustGvWjhQjWEAAfAOy.jpg
900 pounds of meth recovered in Minneapolis on Monday, July 7, 2025.
Contributed / FBI

“The amount of illicit drugs recovered in this case is staggering,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a Wednesday statement. “These drugs were on our streets in huge quantities and nearly made it into the hands of our neighbors who struggle with drug use. The damage 900 pounds of methamphetamine could have caused is devastating, all while funding drug sale organizations that prey on our community.”

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Mary Murphy joined Forum Communications in October 2024 as the Minnesota State Correspondent. She can be reached by email at mmurphy@forumcomm.com.
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