Two men were caught in Minneapolis and have been charged with possessing nearly 900 pounds of methamphetamine in what local and federal law enforcement are touting as a significant bust with ties to Mexican drug cartels.
In connection with the massive meth seizure Monday in south Minneapolis, Guillermo Mercado Chaparro, 44, of Chicago stands charged in Hennepin County District Court with two counts of first-degree drug trafficking. Joel Casas-Santiago, 46, of Minneapolis is charged with one count of first-degree drug trafficking.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement that “the amount of illicit drugs recovered in this case is staggering. 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.”
Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino went on X and praised the “hit targeting drug trafficking rings. ... We’re finding them and crushing their operations.”
The St. Paul Police Department, also on X, said the operation involving its officers, the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team and federal law enforcement pulled off what “might ... be the largest drug bust in Minnesota.”
Law enforcement recently unearthed 900 pounds of meth tucked into large metal spools in a Burnsville storage unit. That discovery sparked searches by federal agents in eight places across the metro early last month, part of what they called a “large and ongoing investigation” into a transnational drug and human trafficking ring.
Mexican cartels continue to use Minnesota as their hub for methamphetamine in the Upper Midwest. As the price of meth has plummeted in recent years, it has become a cheaper, more plentiful option for dealers, and bigger federal busts have followed. Seizures measuring in hundreds of pounds are no longer an anomaly.
