140 lb meth bust in Brooklyn Center 'largest in Minnesota history'

Photo credit: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

More than 140 pounds of methamphetamine was seized by authorities from a Brooklyn Center, Minn. home on Monday. Federal agents say it’s the “largest seizure of methamphetamine in Minnesota history.”

Dolores Castillo, 40, and Franciso Silvestre-Martinez, 27, have been charged with one count each of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Anoka Hennepin Drug Task Force (AHDTF) had been conducting an investigation into the drug activity of a man named Nicholas Nelson. In March and April 2016, officers made a number of undercover meth purchases from him. During that time, authorities came to believe the Brooklyn Center home was being used as a storage facility for it.

On Monday, officers seized approximately 140 pounds of meth from the residence, which had been divided into quart-sized bags in one-pound increments. They also located documents inside the home revealing Castillo and Silvestre-Martinez as the primary residents.

On Tuesday, the two defendants were arrested at a home in Maplewood, Minn. where officers also found $130,000 in cash and an additional two pounds of meth.

“This is what successful collaborative law enforcement efforts can do,” Anoka County Sheriff James Stuart said. “I am very proud of the team that worked so hard to make this operation a success. Let this be a clear message to those who would try to poison our communities in the name of evil greed; we will continue in this hunt and we will find you.”

Castillo and Silvestre-Martinez made their first appearance at the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis on Wednesday.