Overview

• The bust on July 7 recovered 251 pounds of methamphetamine from an SUV and 638 pounds from a GPS-tracked pickup in south Minneapolis, with a combined estimated street value of $1.7 million.
• Joel Casas-Santiago, 46, and Guillermo Mercado Chaparro, 44, are held on $2 million bail after being charged with first-degree drug trafficking; both await initial court appearances.
• The operation was triggered by a July 2 undercover purchase of one pound of meth from Chaparro, leading to a court-approved GPS monitoring warrant.
• Federal and local agencies believe the suspects are linked to a larger Mexican cartel network and are probing broader transnational drug and human trafficking rings in the region.
• Authorities and officials have called the seizure among Minnesota’s largest meth busts and highlighted its potentially devastating effects on local communities.