Man pleads guilty to role in “one of the largest” drug busts in Minnesota history
By WCCO Staff
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ST. PAUL, Minnesota (WCCO) — One of two men federally indicted in what officials at the time called “one of the largest” drug busts in Minnesota history pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Guillermo Mercado-Chaparro was arrested and charged last July after authorities seized nearly 900 pounds of meth from two vehicles in St. Paul.
Court documents say an undercover police officer bought a pound of meth from Mercado-Chaparro. Through surveillance after the purchase, police learned he was traveling around south Minneapolis to conduct several suspected drug deals.
Several days later, charges say police observed Mercado-Chaparro receive two large bags from his truck’s bed and place them in a nearby Jeep.
Authorities eventually stopped the Jeep with Mercado-Chaparro and another man, Joel Casas-Santiago, inside. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the odor of drugs. During a search of the Jeep, police found more than 250 pounds of meth, according to charging documents.
Police then obtained a search warrant for Mercado-Chaparro’s truck, where they seized more than 630 pounds of meth from the bed, court documents say.
A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled for Mercado-Chaparro.
Casas-Santiago has a plea hearing scheduled for March 24.
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