ST. PAUL 鈥� Ramsey County Sheriff鈥檚 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 鈥渓argest meth bust in Minnesota history,鈥� Ramsey County sheriffs said in a . Two male suspects have been arrested and charged with controlled substance crimes, the sheriff鈥檚 office said.
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Deputy Director of the FBI Dan Bongino that the bust was conducted during two traffic stops in a 鈥渉it targeting drug trafficking rings you鈥檒l hear about soon.鈥�
The Hennepin County Attorney鈥檚 Office charged in a press release on Wednesday. Neither defendants have 鈥渓ocal ties鈥� to Minneapolis and both are 鈥渁ssociated with larger drug sale organizations in Mexico,鈥� 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鈥檚 office.
鈥淭he amount of illicit drugs recovered in this case is staggering,鈥� Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a Wednesday statement. 鈥淭hese 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.鈥�
The Trust Project
