MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Farmington man faces several criminal charges for allegedly terrorizing his estranged wife, who is in the process of divorcing him.

The Dakota County Attorney’s Office says Marcus Raymond McGibbon, 34, is charged with stalking him wife and violating a restraining order against him.

McGibbon is also charged with three counts of methamphetamine possession, and a count each of possessing a sawed-off shotgun and committing a crime while wearing a bullet-proof vest.

The criminal complaint says McGibbon’s wife reached out to Farmington police last September to report his threatening and unpredictable behavior.

She told authorities she was trying to divorce him due to domestic violence, his drug use and weapons possession.

McGibbon’s wife waived an initial restraining order she filed against him in order to work out custody arrangements for the couple’s daughter.

But she said she filed for another restraining order after McGibbon started showing up unexpectedly where she was. She then found a GPS device hidden in the wheel well of her car — something he had done once earlier in their marriage.

He was also accused by his wife of sending text messages that contained veiled threats to her and their daughter.

The wife was granted another restraining order in early October, which prevented McGibbon from contact with her and their daughter for two years. McGibbon was seen by deputies in the parking lot of the courthouse on that day, but he never left his car.

When deputies went to his residence to serve the order, they say McGibbon briefly fled into the woods. McGibbon took to Facebook soon after, posting, “Since when did it take 4 deputies to come serve me with court paperwork? I don’t know if I should be offended or take it as a compliment.”

His wife reported to police the very next day that he showed up to where she was shopping and eating. She then found another GPS tracker attached to her car. Two days after that, she saw him parked down the street from her home and called authorities.

Police arrested him without incident, but on the way to jail he requested a padded cell and said he was suicidal.

Investigators found items such as a wig, a black face mask, pepper spray, a knife, a Kevlar vest, binoculars, a video camera, tripod and Gorilla Tape — which matched the tape used to attach GPS trackers to her car.

Footage found on the video camera included parents and children leaving his daughter’s birthday party at a local school, and footage of the outside of his wife’s home. In the latter video, a man’s voice can be heard saying, “I’m not stalking, I’m researching, documenting,” and, “I’d f—ing kill them all if I could. Kill every one of them.”

More than two grams of meth was found in his car, and several pills and meth pipes were found in his home. Several weapons were also seized, including an illegal shotgun.

McGibbon later admitted to investigators that the guns and drugs were all his, and he was responsible for placing GPS devices on her vehicle.

He could face up to 35 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Two women from the Twin Cities are accused of being involved in the possession and sale of methamphetamine in Little Falls, according to charges filed Monday in Morrison County Court.

Sara Harrison, 28 of Minneapolis, was charged with one count of second-degree possession of a controlled substance in the case. Jamie Tapia-Morrow, 30 of Brooklyn Park, was charged with first-degree sale of a controlled substance in the case.

According to the charges, officers with the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force assisted the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension after it was learned a woman identified as Tapi-Morrow would be selling methamphetamine to a confidential informant. An investigation showed she would be meeting the informant for the sale at a Walmart in Little Falls. Officers later learned the purchase would actually take place at a Holiday gas station on the east side of the city.

The complaint states officers on surveillance duty watched the informant get into the suspect vehicle, which traveled around the city and several businesses before ending up back at the gas station and the informant get dropped off. The informant confirmed with officers that they had purchased methamphetamine from Tapia-Morrow.

The complaint states during the purchase, another woman entered and exited the suspect vehicle with five children.

According to the complaint, the suspect vehicle was stopped on Highway 10 in Morrison County and the drive was identified as Tapia-Morrow. The passenger was identified as Harrison. They were both arrested for participating in the sale of methamphetamine.

Harrison admitted to police that she was in possession of methamphetamine and that it was in her vagina. A female correctional officer did a search and recovered the bag. It tested positive for about 14.4 grams of methamphetamine. An investigation showed the drugs sold to the informant tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed about 27.3 grams.

If convicted, Tapia-Morrow faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. Harrison faces up to 25 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 24-year-old Kansas woman is accused of hiding a drug pipe in her private area while being a passenger in a stolen vehicle in Inver Grove Heights back in January, according to charges filed Thursday in Dakota County Court.

Katie Anne Bray was charged with fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia in connection with the Jan. 4 incident.

According to a complaint, West St. Paul police were on patrol at about 11:27 p.m. when they spotted a vehicle that had been reported stolen at a gas station in Inver Grove Heights. Officers approached the vehicle, ordering the driver and passenger out. The driver had felony warrants out for his arrest and the passenger was identified as Bray. Both were placed in squad cars and searched.

The complaint states in the process of handcuffing and searching Bray, she told officers she had a pipe hidden in her vagina to keep away from officers. A female officer was called to get the pipe, and it tested positive for methamphetamine.

If convicted, Bray faces up to five years in prison and more than $10,000 in fines.

MINNEAPOOLIS (WCCO) – A 27-year-old woman is accused of driving while she was high on methamphetamine in Coon Rapids with a child in her car, according to charges filed in Anoka County Court.

Leighann Rae Beaulieu was charged with fifth-degree controlled substance possession and third-degree driving while impaired in connection with the incident, which happened Monday.

According to the charges, an Anoka County sheriff’s deputy was called at about 5:18 p.m. to a report of an impaired driver with a minor male child at the Dairy Queen in Coon Rapids. The officer found the vehicle and the driver, identified as Beaulieu, with a male child parked and taking up two spots. She had slurred speech, and the child, who is less than 8 years old, was not in a legally required car seat.

The complaint states Beaulieu denied that she had been drinking or using drugs, but said she was going to treatment “tomorrow.” Beaulieu had been at the Dairy Queen and had difficulty placing an order. She had difficulty with field sobriety tests and appeared very anxious. She was arrested for suspected driving while impaired with a child in the car.

The complaint states in a search of the vehicle, officers found cut red straws, a digital scale and a meth pipe. Beaulieu had a white, chunky rock wrapped inside a receipt in her pocket.

According to the complaint, Beaulieu admitted to authorities at the jail that she smoked meth within 24 hours of the traffic stop. She also said the substance, straws, pipe and scale found on her and in the vehicle contained cocaine and were hers.

Beaulieu has a previous drug conviction from October of 2009. If convicted on the current charges, she faces up to six years in prison and $13,000 in fines.

MADISON, Wis. (AP/WCCO) — Nineteen people have pleaded guilty in a drug ring that authorities say trafficked 127 pounds of methamphetamine from the Minneapolis area to central Wisconsin communities over a three-year span.

U.S. Attorney John Vaudreuil in Wisconsin says 14 of the suspects have been sentenced, and the remaining five will be sentenced over the next two months.

Over the three years, meth was brought into Wisconsin from Minnesota on a weekly-basis, on an average of one pound a week. In 2015, demand increased and two to three pounds were brought in each week.

In all, the meth that was trafficked had a total estimated street value of $5.7 million.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Joe Kujawa was the source of supply in Minneapolis; David Vance-Bryan and Mike Kjonaas transported the meth from Minnesota to Wisconsin; Kyle Quintana, Anthony Rogers, Jacob Loose, Raul Rasmussen and Patrick Keenan sold the drugs in Wisconsin; Karen Zais, Andy Nelson, Jaimie Pankow, Chris Schmeltzer, Matt Drake, Ryan Thomas and Jonas Ellwart were customers and second-level distributors; and Danny Graap, Josh Graap and Christina Abbott were street-level distributors.

All suspects pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charges.

Altogether, the sentences total 158 years in prison.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 29-year-old man was arrested last Friday after authorities seized large amounts of methamphetamine and marijuana during a drug bust in Big Lake.

Derek Alan Snaza was arrested for second-degree possession of a controlled substance, fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance and possession of stolen property in connection with the incident.

The Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant for narcotics last Friday at a residence on the 20000 block of 152nd St. NW in Big Lake Township. Investigators located about 28 grams of methamphetamine and about 107 grams of marijuana in the residence.

Authorities also found an ATV that was reported stolen near Zimmerman in October 2016.

Snaza is being held in the Sherburne County Jail awaiting formal charges.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Authorities in southern Minnesota are warning anyone who might be involved in spring roadside cleaning to be careful when picking up suspicious pop or sports drink bottles.

The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office says individuals will manufacture methamphetamine in what is called a “shake and bake” method. Once the meth is made, the pop or sports drink bottles often get thrown into roadside ditches.

Authorities say if anyone doing roadside clean-up finds one of these bottles and opens it, oxygen can be introduced to the chemicals and the bottles can blow up, leading to serious injury or even death.

Anyone who comes across these bottles should not touch it and call law enforcement immediately.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Two people were arrested Tuesday after nearly $13,000 in drugs and a gun were recovered during a bust in Litchfield, according to the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of first-degree controlled substance and firearms-related charges. Authorities say about 13 ounces of methamphetamine, 11 grams of cocaine and a .40-caliber handgun were found at the residence. The drugs seized had an estimated street value of about $13,000.

Authorities say a small child lived at the residence, was present when the search warrant was executed and placed with Meeker County Family Services. The Litchfield Fire Department and BCA assisted in the investigation.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Authorities say a 51-year-old Superior, Wis., man who went missing in mid-October was evading authorities after a copper theft in Proctor and later died of a methamphetamine overdose.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said Jack Allen Cotrell was reported missing on Oct. 16, and hadn’t been seen since Oct. 1. Family and friends had been notified that he was possibly involved with a copper wire theft from the Canadian National Railyard in Proctor.

An investigation shows the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call just before midnight on Oct. 1 after a railyard worker observed trespassers, and there was evidence of a copper theft. Cotrell was identified, as well as three accomplices.

Authorities were notified on Oct. 24 that a body had been found just outside of Proctor near the Canadian National Railyard. It was positively identified as Cotrell. He was found dead on Oct. 24 in a narrow creek not far from the railyard.

A preliminary autopsy showed his death was the result of drowning, but toxicology results indicate Cotrell died of accidental methamphetamine toxicity. Authorities say it’s believed Cotrell was crossing a swamp to evade authorities after being spotted by railyard employees.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 36-year-old Pine City man is facing multiple charges after stealing a vehicle and leading authorities on a chase north of the Twin Cities metro on Monday before crashing, according to the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office.

Jesse Satter was charged with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, criminal vehicular operation and theft of a motor vehicle in connection with the incident.

(credit: Anoka County Sheriff’s Office)

According to charges filed in the case, the U.S. Marshals Service says their Northstar Fugitive Task Force was assigned to arrest Satter for a parole violation. At about 11:45 a.m. Monday, authorities located Satter leaving a Forest Lake residence and followed him onto Highway 97 into Anoka County. The vehicle was located on Highway 91, east of Interstate 35W, in the City of Columbus.

The complaint states the driver got out of the car and cooperated with law enforcement. Satter then moved into the driver’s seat and drove towards Lino Lakes, with Anoka County sheriff’s deputies in pursuit.

The complaint states Satter reached speeds of about 110 miles per hour and got as fast 120. Satter eventually ran a red light and hit a pick-up truck at the intersection of Lake and Apollo Drives. He then spun and hit a blue passenger car. Satter fled on foot before being taken into custody.

Satter told authorities he had hit his head and his neck was sore. The complaint states he said he had used methamphetamine that day.

The complaint states a woman driving the blue passenger car was taken to a hospital and suffered a broken bone in her right hand, a broken bone in her left toe and a chipped tooth. The driver of the pick-up truck that was hit was not injured.

According to the complaint, the driver with Satter told authorities a friend asked him if he could give Satter a ride, and met him in Forest Lake. He didn’t’ know Satter had an outstanding warrant, and when Satter saw police following, he told the driver he would pay him $1,000 and asked to hide in the trunk. The driver didn’t agree, stopped and complied with officers. He didn’t give Satter permission to drive his car, and was angry that he took it and totaled it.

If convicted on all charges, Satter faces up to 13 years in prison and $30,000 in fines.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A man involved in a large methamphetamine ring in North Dakota and Minnesota that was tied to a killing has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison.

Thirty-nine-year-old Ryan Franklin was sentenced Tuesday for conspiring to distribute the drug.

The U.S. attorney’s office says Franklin was among 13 people indicted in the conspiracy to bring meth from the Twin Cities to the Red River Valley.

Thirty-two-year-old Krystal Feist of Grand Forks, North Dakota, is serving 30 years for fatally shooting 24-year-old Austin Forsman in March 2016 as part of the conspiracy. Forsman was killed while sitting in a vehicle at a Grand Forks truck stop.

Thirty-five-year-old Modesto Torrez, of Angus, Minnesota, was sentenced in December to two life prison terms for ordering the killing and leading the drug ring.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal prosecutors allege a 25-year-old Minnesota mother of two is the leader of one of the biggest methamphetamine trafficking cells state has ever seen.

Attorney Gary Wolf tells The Star Tribune that his client Macrina Perez is “adamant about fighting” the allegations. Wolf has successfully lobbied against federal detention and Perez may get early release under GPS monitoring while she awaits trial.

Prosecutors fear she may escape prosecution if she’s released.

Wolf says Perez was arrested in April at the U.S.-Mexico border during a shopping trip. She was charged nearly two years ago in a sealed indictment that used information from several informants whose identities are protected by the government.

The charges are linked to a May 2016 raid of a Brooklyn Center house where authorities found 140 pounds of meth.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A western Wisconsin man is facing charges of child neglect for using methamphetamine around his children, two of which tested positive for meth and marijuana.

David Maine, of Danbury, Wisconsin, is charged with three misdemeanor counts of child neglect, documents filed in Burnett County show.

According to a criminal complaint, authorities began investigating Maine’s household in March, following accusations of child maltreatment and sexual abuse.

While the abuse allegations proved to be unfounded, Maine admitted to investigators that he and his partner used methamphetamine in the home, sometimes around their three children.

Hair follicle tests of the children found that the two youngest tested positive for meth and THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana. The oldest child tested negative for all substances.

If convicted of the neglect charges, Maine faces a maximum penalty of 9 months behind bars and/or a $10,000 fine for each count.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 42-year-old northern Minnesota woman is accused of smoking meth and breaking the legs of the infant girl she was babysitting.

Bridget Stately, of Bemidji, is charged with one count of third-degree assault and one count of child endangerment, court documents filed in Beltrami County show.

According to a criminal complaint, child’s mother brought her 3-month-old daughter to the doctor Wednesday after the child appeared to have extreme pain in her legs. X-rays showed they were broken at the tibia.

The mother told police that her nanny camera showed Stately with the baby earlier that day. While trying to bottle feed the girl, Stately could be seen getting frustrated, grabbing the child’s feet and twisting her ankles.

In an interview with police, Stately admitted to having anger issues and self-medicating with methamphetamine. She said that she smoked meth while babysitting Wednesday but told officers she blacked out and didn’t remember hurting the child.

If convicted of both felonies, Stately faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

She made her first court appearance Wednesday, and her bail was set at $5,000. She remains in Beltrami County Jail.

According to court documents, Stately has prior convictions for disorderly conduct, domestic assault and obstructing the legal process.

She is slated to return to court on Monday.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Five Minnesota residents have been arrested for drug offenses and probation violations following a July 5 search of a home in Ideal Township, according to Crow Wing County Sheriff Todd Dahl.

Officers with the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Division, Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office and Baxter Police Department searched the premises of the residence, on the 10000 block of County Road 16, and located more than three pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of over $16,000, a large amount of cash and ammunition.

“These arrests were the result of a continuing investigation and tips from our public,” Dahl said. “A case like this is a perfect example of our office working with the public to get these drugs out of our community and arrest those involved.”

The arrests include Brienna Rodriguez, 26, of Pine River, for a probation violation; Doug Melby Jr., 59, of Pequot Lakes, for a first-degree drug offense and weapon and ammunition possession by an ineligible person; Charles Ford, 60, of Backus, for a fifth-degree drug offense; Richard Kinnunen, 52, of Brainerd, for a fifth-degree drug offense and probation violation; and Lisa Maas, 52, of Crosby, for a probation violation.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Police say 171 pounds of methamphetamine — believed to be the largest single seizure of the drug in state history — were seized Tuesday.

Four men were arrested and charged in Hennepin County District Court in connection with the seizure, including Fernando Ramos Meza, 33; Peter Martin, 34; Javier Lopez, 46; and Juan Daniel Valdez Mendoza, 23.

(credit: Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)

Police found 39 packages, each containing approximately 4.4 pounds of methamphetamine, at a residence in the 3600 block of Dupont Avenue North. Additional smaller packages of methamphetamine, a sawed-off shotgun, 1.1 ounces of tar heroin and several thousand dollars were also found.

Agents with the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force seized the drugs as part of an ongoing trafficking investigation that began in January. The Minneapolis SWAT team helped serve the search warrant at the residence.

According to police, the seizure could sell wholesale for approximately $684,000. When the seized drugs are broken down into $100/gram for street level sales, the value would be over $7,750,000.

Five adults and three children were at the residence during the time of the search.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Officials in Morrison County say two men are in custody after a traffic stop led to a methamphetamine bust Wednesday.

According to the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on Highway 10 just south of Little Falls on the evening of January 9. There, a deputy noticed a vehicle traveling north on the highway where the owner had a cancelled driving status.

During the traffic stop, the deputy noticed items being tossed from the passenger side window. Those items were later found to be baggies and a pipe containing suspected methamphetamine.

After a search of the vehicle, approximately 10.5 grams of methamphetamine were located and seized.

The driver, 37-year-old Jason Clayton Adam Bailey of Long Prairie, and the passenger, 36-year-old Robert James Dunham Devereaux of Swanville, were taken into custody. They’re both being held in the Morrison County Jail pending formal charges of fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Two men have been charged after authorities say they conspired to distribute more than 500 grams of meth. According to the complaint, they exceeded that amount by many times over.

Gonzalo Jiminez-Paz Jr. and Rey David Luna-Santillanes have both been charged, according to documents filed with the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.

The documents say that officers searched an apartment at 1st Street South and Marquette Avenue in downtown Minneapolis last Saturday. They recovered about 64 pounds of what they suspected to be meth, which was found in two suitcases.

Tests of the substance found in the suitcases came back positive for meth, the charges state. Jiminez-Paz and Luna-Santillanes were arrested.

The two were taken into custody, and investigators questioned them. Luna-Santillanes told authorities he had arrived in Minnesota two months prior and was living with Jiminez-Paz at the apartment. He also admitted to delivering some narcotics on behalf of Jiminez-Paz, along with wiring money to California.

The complaint says that along with the meth, investigators also found three pounds of suspected heroin, some pills, two loaded guns and a large amount of money inside the apartment.

Both men are due in federal court Thursday at 1 p.m.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Duane Johnson, 59, was sentenced Monday for holding a heavy metal “death party” for his wife in January, during which she died from a methamphetamine overdose, according to the Brown County Attorney’s office.

The criminal complaint says 69-year-old Debra Lynn Johnson was found dead in her Searles home on January 24. Duane called 911 to report her passing. Officers arrived to find him naked, and Debra wrapped in a bed sheet.

Duane Johnson (credit: Brown Co. Jail)

Duane told deputies that Debra begged him to take her out of her nursing home to let her die at home. He said they spent the last several days of her life ingesting meth, while listening to their song — “Metal Health” by Quiet Riot.

Duane was originally charged with third-degree murder, but his legal team negotiated a plea deal where he pleaded guilty to criminal neglect.

He was sentenced to three years, which is one year less than is listed in the sentencing guidelines. He will serve 19 months in prison, then serve the rest of his sentence on supervised release. He is also getting credit for the 201 days he has served since being arrested.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A family dog in Chisago County ate from a bag of discarded methamphetamine, and now is unlikely to survive.

The Chisago County Sheriff tweeted on Thursday that the family saw the dog was acting “strange and sick.”

They later discovered that the dog had come across “a Subway bag filled with over 80 grams of meth, needles and a meth pipe.”

(credit: Chisago County Sheriff’s Office)

The owners rushed the pet to a veterinarian, and it is now said to be dangerously sick.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — McGregor resident Dale Vernon Preston faces multiple assault, child endangerment and drug charges in connection to an incident where his toddler son was shot in the eye by a pellet gun.

The criminal complaint says the 2-year-old victim was brought to Riverwood Healthcare Center by his mother Monday evening. An Aitkin County Sheriff’s deputy was at the hospital, and observed that the crying boy had extreme swelling in his right eye that prevented him from seeing. The boy and his mother were later airlifted to M Health University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

The boy’s mother told the deputy that her son was in the care of his father, 38-year-old Preston, at the time of the injury. She said Preston told her that neighbor kids were playing outside their home with a pellet gun, and one of the pellets ricocheted and struck the boy in the eye.

The deputy went to Preston’s home on Tuesday evening, but no one answered the door, despite the fact that a vehicle was in the driveway. The deputy spoke to a neighbor directly across from Preston’s home on Wednesday, who said her children are not allowed to interact with the family after Preston gave them a pellet gun, which she said was later destroyed.

Dale Preston (credit: Aitkin Co. Sheriff’s Office)

The deputy, parked outside Preston’s home, made phone contact with him later that day. As they were talking, the deputy saw Preston drive by. As the call continued, Preston told the deputy he saw three young boys shooting cans with a pellet gun near his fence line, and then heard his son start crying. Preston said he found his son bleeding from the eye. He then called the boy’s mother to come home from work.

Preston soon admitted to the deputy that he and the boy’s mother were both at home the previous night when he came to the door, and he also admitted to giving the neighbor boys a pellet gun. He then denied owning a pellet gun himself, and denied having one in the home.

The deputy looked at the property and couldn’t find any footprints in the snow or cans in the area where Preston said he observed the boys shooting the pellet gun.

A search warrant was executed at the home Wednesday, where investigators observed rotting food and garbage, animal feces, fruit flies and other insects inside. They also found a pellet gun between Preston’s mattress and box spring. He told investigators he didn’t know the weapon was there, and he thought it had burned in a shed fire.

Investigators also found a hypodermic needle and a plastic baggy that contained traces of methamphetamine in a bathroom vanity, which was easily accessible to the child. Preston told investigators that “he thought he had thrown everything away after his previous drug arrest.”

Preston was arrested and taken to Aitkin County Jail. He was charged Friday with two counts of felony third-degree assault, two counts of felony child endangerment, a misdemeanor count of domestic assault, and three drug charges that ranged in severity from gross misdemeanor to felony. He could face up to 26 years in prison if convicted.

Investigators say the pellet did not hit the boy’s actual eye, but instead was lodged under his eyebrow.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The Dunn County Sheriff’s Office seized 110 grams of methamphetamine, along with ecstasy pills, after a traffic stop on Thursday.

Law enforcement says the traffic stop happened in the town of Dunn. Based on information gathered during the stop, one man was arrested and a search warrant was executed in the town of Boyceville. The Boyceville Police Department and West Central Drug Task Force assisted in the search, and the drugs were found.

(credit: Dunn County Sheriff’s Office)

Now the man will be charged with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, maintaining a drug trafficking place, and possession of drug paraphernalia

WCCO does not name suspects until they have been formally charged with a crime.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — One-hundred-eleven pounds of methamphetamine were recently recovered from a Shoreview home. A drug task force also found three and a half pounds of cocaine at the apartment.

According to a news release, the Anoka-Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force executed a search warrant on May 8, following a “months-long narcotics investigation.”

Authorities say that if the drugs had been sold as packaged, they would’ve had a sum worth greater than $615,000.

(credit: Anoka-Hennepin Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force)

Thirty-year-old Omar Damacio Ruiz Penaloza of Inver Grove Heights was arrested on scene. He’s since been charged in Ramsey County District Court with possession of a controlled substance and intent to sell.

If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

(credit: Ramsey County Jail)

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — In the past three days, police have removed over 176 grams of suspected methamphetamine in the city of Hibbing.

On Monday at 9:16 p.m., officers from the Hibbing Police Department responded to an accident on Mitchell Bridge. The person who reported the incident said the driver had removed a backpack from the car and placed it over the nearby guard rail.

When they arrived, officers noticed the driver appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance. They found 48.8 grams of suspected methamphetamine inside the backpack he had placed on the guard rail. Officers then found an additional 2.5 grams of suspected heroin and 3.33 grams of suspected methamphetamine on the man.

The 30-year-old man was booked into St. Louis County Jail and charged with first degree possession of a controlled substance, fifth degree possession of a controlled substance and fourth degree driving under the influence.

At 9:29 p.m. on Thursday, Hibbing officers responded to suspicious activity at the intersection of Highway 73 and Townline Road. The person who reported the incident said they could hear screaming and yelling from the vehicle in the parking lot of the Maple Hill Community Center.

When officers arrived, they spoke with a 24-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man and saw drug paraphernalia in the car. When they searched the car, they found 124.8 grams of suspected methamphetamine.

The two were then arrested and held at the St. Louis County Jail-Virginia, pending charges of first degree possession of a controlled substance.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Five people from central Minnesota have been indicted with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

According to the indictment’s allegations, Gerald Allen Jensen, a 57-year old man from Brook Park, had been selling pound-level amounts of meth regularly between June 2020 and September 2020. An investigation revealed that Miguel Eduardo Del Real, 25, Ivan Lopez, 25, Juan Jose Paniagua, Jr., 24, and Aaron Michael Stenquist, 49, were part of the meth distribution conspiracy with Jensen.

On Sept. 16, the East Central Drug and Violent Offenders Task Force executed a search warrant on Jensen’s residence and found $11,800 and seven pounds of meth hidden inside PVC pipes.

Two days later, the task force arrested Paniagua and Lopez, and recovered 15.4 pounds of meth. The meth was found in the trunk of Lopez’s car, in vacuum-sealed bags. Del Real ran from the scene before he could be apprehended.

All five have been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute meth. Del Real, Lopez, and Paniagua have additionally been charged with one count of possession with the intent to distribute meth.

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — An Apple Valley man has been charged in a drug bust this week that involved large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl.

Alphonse Latrese Herron Jr., 34, faces three first-degree counts of aggravated controlled substance crime.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says that investigators arranged for Herron to sell five pounds of meth to an undercover agent. Investigators observed Herron going to a storage facility after making the arrangement.

After Herron made the deal with the agent, he was stopped by the Minnesota State Patrol. His vehicle, home and the storage unit were searched.

In the storage unit, investigators located a safe that was found to contain about one pound of suspected cocaine, nine points of methamphetamine, three pounds of fentanyl, over 6,000 pills suspected to contain fentanyl, a handgun and about $140,000 in cash.

According to the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, Herron admitted to selling meth, saying that he gets it from California.

“This was one of the largest seizures of illegal drugs in Dakota County’s history,” Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom said. “We believe this is part of a large illegal drug smuggling operation from California. This seizure demonstrates the continuing problem of methamphetamine and fentanyl use in our community. Illegal drug use and distribution endangers public safety and all too often claims lives.”

Bail has been set at $1 million without conditions. However, as the Department of Corrections has a hold on Herron due to a 2017 conviction, even if he posted bail he would return to prison.

His next court appearance is scheduled for March 10.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Authorities in northwestern Wisconsin say a woman is in custody after a traffic stop this week turned up nearly $40,000 worth of methamphetamine.

The Sawyer County Sheriff’s Office says deputies stopped a Dodge Durango on Sunday in Edgewater, Wisconsin, as part of a drug investigation in the area.

The Durango’s driver, a 40-year-old woman From Birchwood, Wisconsin, was arrested. She is being held in the county jail on a $50,000 cash bond pending charges of drug possession and intent to make/distribute.

Investigators say a search of the Durango produced 3.3 grams of magic mushrooms, 4.1 grams of THC/marijuana, and 394 grams of methamphetamine, which has an estimated street value of $39,000.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A western Wisconsin man faces charges after authorities say a three-month investigation resulted in a seizure of drugs and a firearm.

Richard Skramstad, 58, is charged with maintaining a drug trafficking place and manufacturing, distributing or delivering cocaine and methamphetamine, according to the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities seized 270 grams of methamphetamine as well as cocaine and hallucinogenic mushrooms during their investigation.

Skramstad is being held at the Dunn County Jail. The sheriff’s office said eight other people are also under investigation in this matter.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Authorities seized more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine, 2 pounds of cocaine and thousands of dollars while executing search warrants related to a drug investigation in the Twin Cities.

The CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force said it purchased 3 pounds of meth from a 41-year-old source, then searched two homes related to the case. During that search, they found 20 more pounds of meth, the cocaine and $29,000 in cash.

The source was arrested and is awaiting federal charges. WCCO typically does not name suspects before they are charged.

The task force said he was arrested in Minnesota in 2012 for controlled substance charges and deported to Mexico after serving a sentence for that crime.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Authorities arrested three people on outstanding warrants at a home in Alexandria Tuesday morning.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, a 24-year-old man and a 26-year-old man each had a felony drug warrant, while a 49-year-old man had multiple warrants.

Deputies were checking a home on the 1700 block of Castle Lane Southeast “for suspected people with active arrest warrants” when they saw the 24-year-old through a screen door. He retreated into the home, and deputies waited for backup outside.

While waiting, they found the 26-year-old in a parked vehicle.

After entering the home, they found the 49-year-old in the kitchen, with 8.5 grams of methamphetamine on him. While searching, they found the 24-year-old in the attic, hiding under insulation.

The sheriff’s office said deputies found more meth, “stolen property” and three guns, including a sawed off shotgun, while executing a search warrant.

All three men were taken to Douglas County Jail for their warrants and pending charges.

“The investigation continues and other arrests are possible,” the sheriff’s office said.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Five people were arrested in northern Minnesota last week, the result of an investigation by a drug task force.

According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, three were arrested during a traffic stop in Itasca County Saturday. Two others were arrested in Hibbing during a search of a residence.

The arrested parties range in age from 19 to 58. The sheriff’s office said a “large quantity” of methamphetamine was seized during the traffic stop.

The arrests came after a monthlong investigation by the Lake Superior Drug & Violent Crime Task Force.

All five people arrested are awaiting criminal charges.

WCCO-TV does not typically name people arrested until they are formally charged with a crime.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The U.S. Department of Justice says that three members of the “Native Mob” gang have been sentenced to prison for distributing methamphetamine and for assault.

The three members sentenced were 32-year-old Robin Lee Lussier (“Ratchet”), 26-year-old Willard Duane Reed III (“Leftfield”) and 25-year-old Joshua Adam Hanks (“Souless”).

All three were said to be active in the gang, and prosecutors said from Dec. 1, 2015 through Jan. 1, 2019, Lussier and Reed conspired to traffic meth by the pound throughout northern Minnesota, “including but not limited to Cass Lake, Bemidji, and the Red Lake Indian Reservation.”

The justice department said that, in December 2018, Hanks (under direction by Lussier) assaulted a fellow gang member for failing to abide by the rules of the “Native Mob.”

Lussier pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 16 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Reed received 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release, following his guilty plea. Hanks, who also pleaded guilty, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

A decade ago, the National Gang Threat Assessment called the Native Mob one of the largest and most violent American Indian gangs in the U.S., most active in Minnesota and Wisconsin but also in Michigan, North Dakota and South Dakota. It is made up of mostly American Indian men and boys, and started in Minneapolis in the 1990s as members fought for turf to deal drugs. The Native Mob has also been active in prison.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Scandia man faces a murder charge after he allegedly sold methamphetamine to man who died from an overdose at the Chisago County Jail.

The sheriff’s office says 51-year-old Erik Nielson was arrested in Chisago County on July 22 on a felony warrant. Video from in the squad car showed Nielson grab something from his sock or shoe and put it in his mouth. Soon after he entered the jail, he became unresponsive, and died despite life-saving efforts.

Nielson, from St. Paul, was later determined to have died from an overdose. A perforated plastic bag was also found in his stomach.

John Hofer (credit: Chisago Co. Jail)

Investigators with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension say they allegedly connected the source of Nielson’s drugs to 37-year-old John Hofer after finding a Facebook Messenger thread between the two men that appeared to lay out a drug deal. Hofer was charged Tuesday with third-degree murder, and was taken into custody Wednesday.

The sheriff’s office says the investigation is ongoing.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A career criminal will spend a decade in prison after being convicted on methamphetamine and firearm charges.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Stearns County resident Samuel Charles Skelton II, 30, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth and possession of firearms as a felon.

Court documents showed Skelton sold a pound of meth to an informant in late 2019, then weeks later he was arrested after being surveilled while driving from St. Cloud to the Twin Cities. Authorities say he had more than 3 pounds of meth in his BMW at the time, as well as cocaine, several pills, a scale and multiple flip phones.

Then in April, as investigators were at the scene of an overdose death in Brook Park in Pine County, Skelton pulled up to the residence. His car was soon searched, yielding bags of meth and marijuana, two handguns, two assault-style rifles and five loaded, high-capacity magazines.

After Skelton serves his prison sentence, he will have five years of supervised release.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A Hell’s Angels member was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison after selling pounds of methamphetamine to an undercover officer and fleeing to California.

The U.S. Department of Justice District of Minnesota said that Justin Schmitz, 39, was sentenced to 168 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

According to prosecutors, Schmitz is a member of the Minnesota chapter of the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club and sold multiple pounds of high-purity methamphetamine to an undercover officer last year for around $6,000.

After he pleaded guilty to methamphetamine distribution, he absconded in August of 2020 from a treatment center. He fled to California, where he was fugitive for nearly three months before being arrested and brought back to Minnesota.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The United States Attorney’s Office has charged a 20-year-old man from Mexico with trying to smuggle methamphetamine, several firearms and dozens of armor-piercing bullets onto a flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix last week.

The criminal complaint states Kevin Alan Aguilar-Moreno checked two pieces of luggage before getting onto a Delta Airlines flight at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Oct. 29.

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TSA agents found more than two pounds of meth inside, as well as two pistols and a homemade, untraceable AR-15-style rifle. The luggage also contained 241 bullets, 39 of which were armor-piercing rounds.

Aguilar-Moreno faces a count of possessing meth with intent to distribute, and a count of possessing firearms while illegally present in the U.S. He made his first court appearance Tuesday.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Three men who pleaded guilty to planning to sell methamphetamine in Minnesota have now been sentenced.

Aaron Stenquist, Gerald Jensen and Juan Paniagua all previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota.

Stenquist was sentenced to 120 months in prison Wednesday. Jensen and Paniagua were previously sentenced to 112 months and 80 months, respectively.

The three — along with two other men who have yet to be sentenced — conspired to sell meth in the Twin Cities and eastern Minnesota, the attorney’s office said.

ROBBINSDALE, Minn. (WCCO) — Police in Robbinsdale say officers discovered several pounds of methamphetamine inside a “suspicious vehicle” Tuesday night.

Someone reported seeing the vehicle, which had front-end damage, at about 8 p.m. on the 3800 block of Xenia Avenue North. They said two people got out and started walking away.

Officers soon spotted them and made contact. A body search of one of the suspects yielded a handgun, and another gun was found inside the vehicle — as well as 6.5 pounds of meth.

The suspects are being held at the Hennepin County Jail. Police say the investigation is still underway.

WABASHA COUNTY, Minn. (WCCO) – Deputies in Wabasha County have confiscated roughly 5 pounds of meth and charged a 46-year-old man with two counts of controlled substance crime.

According to the Wabasha County Attorney’s Office, Michael Mattison arrived at the county’s criminal justice center on Tuesday to look for his car, which had been impounded.

Mattison, who had left the car on the road a few days before, didn’t know that the car had been in county custody. Law enforcement officers had also executed a search warrant and gone through the car.

Michael Mattison, along with the bags of meth allegedly found in his car (Credit: Wabasha County)

Deputies found 4.96 pounds of methamphetamine and roughly $1,800 in cash, the attorney’s office says.

“That is a significant amount to be found in Wabasha County,” Wabasha County Captain Curt Struwe said.

Mattison was arrested after he got his car back. The attorney’s office said that in a post-Miranda statement, Mattison admitted the methamphetamine was his and that he was selling it.

Federico Hernandez-Mozqueda (Credit: Wabasha County)

The arrest and charge comes less than two months after deputies confiscated 1.53 pounds of meth from 39-year-old Federico Hernandez-Mozqueda, who was charged with three counts of controlled substance crime. The meth had been intercepted by Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport police and was addressed to his home in Plainview, where deputies found it, along with several thousand dollars in cash, the attorney’s office says.

Struwe said the cases “show that methamphetamine is still rampant here in Wabasha.”

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A Minnesota man accused of dealing drugs out of a motorhome has been sentenced to 27 years in prison, according to federal authorities in South Dakota.

A federal indictment accuses Frank Stewart, 62, of participating in a drug ring that distributed massive amounts of methamphetamine in South Dakota and elsewhere.

“He personally distributed more than 500 grams of methamphetamine during his involvement in the conspiracy,” U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell said.

Stewart, of Browns Valley, Minnesota, pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Two other defendants have been charged in the case.

Stewart was arrested last year in Todd County, Minnesota, where police searched his motorhome and discovered a half-pound of meth, more than $9,000 in cash and two firearms, according to a west-central Minnesota drug task force.

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