2 men charged in what could be Minnesota's largest drug bust ever, officials say
Two men are facing criminal charges after authorities seized hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine in Minneapolis this week in what one agency calls possibly "the largest drug bust in Minnesota — ever."
The St. Paul Police Department, which worked with the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team and federal partners on the investigation, made that claim. The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office called it "possibly one of the largest meth busts in Minnesota history."
Two men were arrested and charged after authorities seized 960 pounds of meth from two vehicles, . They are being held in the Hennepin County Jail.
On Wednesday, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said it charged two men with first-degree drug sales: Guillermo Mercado Chaparro, 44, and Joel Casas-Santiago, 46. Chaparro faces two counts, while Casas-Santiago faces one count.
According to charges filed in Hennepin County, they were found with nearly 900 pounds of meth.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty described the amount of drugs recovered as "staggering" in a statement released on Wednesday. She said neither suspect has ties to the Twin Cities, and both are "associated with larger drug sale organizations in Mexico."
"These drugs were on our streets in huge quantities and nearly made it into the hands of our neighbors who struggle with drug use," Moriarty said. "The damage 900 pounds of methamphetamine could have caused is devastating, all while funding drug sale organizations that prey on our community. We will work to hold these two individuals accountable to protect our community."
The retail value of the recovered drugs is about $1.7 million if sold by the pound.
The county attorney's office says the statutory minimum for first-degree drug sales is 65 months in prison, which is over five years.
FBI Director Dan Bongino said Tuesday on social media that the arrests and seizure were part of "a hit targeting drug trafficking rings you'll hear about soon." It's unclear if federal charges have been filed yet against the men.
The discovery of 900 pounds of meth in a Burnsville, Minnesota, storage unit prompted federal raids at several other Twin Cities locations in June. One such raid on Lake Street involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement prompted outrage from the community and a clash with authorities.
This story will be updated.
