FARIBAULT, Minn. – Law enforcement says it’s made the single largest meth seizure in Minnesota history.

It happened Tuesday in Minneapolis as agents of the Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force seized 170.98 pounds of methamphetamine and arrested four men. An investigation that began in Rice County in January eventually led agents to a home in the 3600 block of Dupont Avenue North, where a search found 39 packages, each containing about two kilograms of meth. Additional smaller packages of meth were also discovered, along with a sawed-off shotgun, 1.1 ounces of tar heroin, and several thousand dollars in cash.

Arrested and charged in Hennepin County District Court are:

- Fernando Ramos Meza, age 33
- Peter Martin, age 34
- Javier Lopez, age 46
- Juan Daniel Valdez Mendoza, age 23

“Methamphetamine is still big business in Minnesota and Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) bring meth to major metropolitan hubs like Chicago and Minneapolis then break down the product for mid-level dealers,” says Faribault Police Chief Andy Bohlen. “Eventually the drug continues to spread and ends up in all communities across the State. I want to thank the Minnesota Office of Public Safety and the Office of Justice Programs that support these collaborative Violent Crime Enforcement Teams across our State and the hard work done by each team every day to keep our communities safe.”

Authorities say the meth seized in this investigation would have had a street value of $7.7 million.

Rice County Sheriff/CRDVOTF chair Troy Dunn commented, “Our officers and deputies on the task force did an outstanding job during this investigation,” says Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn. “They continued to work leads in an attempt to locate sources of these drugs that come back into our communities. These agents worked extremely hard in this case, which resulted in this significant seizure and multiple arrests. We also appreciate and thank the Minneapolis Police Department SWAT team, the Homeland Security Investigations unit, and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for their assistance.”

Law enforcement says the supply of meth has increased so much the price per pound has dropped in ten years from $15,000 to $20,000 to just $4,000.

The Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force covers Rice and Le Sueur Counties, and consists of agents from the Rice County and Le Sueur County Sheriff’s Offices and the Faribault and Northfield Police Departments.