ST. PAUL, MINN. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Minnesota), published as received.

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Joel Casas-Santiago, 46, and Guillermo Mercado-Chaparro, 44, are both charged with one count of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine. Mercado-Chaparro is additionally charged with Illegal Reentry by a Removed Alien, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.

According to court documents, an undercover police officer bought a pound of methamphetamine from Mercado-Chaparro, who was driving a Toyota Tacoma truck during the buy. Through post-buy surveillance, police learned that Mercado-Chaparro was traveling driving throughout south Minneapolis to conduct suspected drug deals.

Several days later, police saw Mercado-Chaparro walk to the Tacoma, retrieve two large garbage bags from the truck bed, and place them in a nearby Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep was eventually stopped, and Casas-Santiago and Mercado-Chaparro were ordered out of the car. A drug-sniffing dog alerted the odor of drugs in the Jeep.  When police searched the Jeep, they found over 250 pounds of methamphetamine in the garbage bags and a cooler.

Police arrested Casas-Santiago and Mercado-Chaparro and then obtained a search warrant for the Tacoma. They searched the truck and seized over 630 pounds of methamphetamine from the truck bed.

Altogether, Casas-Santiago and Mercado-Chaparro were in possession of almost 900 pounds of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

“This isn’t just another drug bust—it’s one of the largest methamphetamine seizures in Minnesota history,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “A 900-pound haul like this doesn’t just show intent to distribute. It shows intent to poison entire communities. We will not let Minnesota become a distribution hub for cartel-scale operations. This prosecution is just the beginning.”

This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Minnesota Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Ramsey County Crime Enforcement Team, the St. Paul Police Department, the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force, and the Minneapolis Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allen Slaughter and Campbell Warner are prosecuting the case.