Massive meth discovery prompted federal raid in Minneapolis, court documents show
A federal criminal complaint filed Monday said the June 3 raid at Cuatro Milpas was connected to one of eight search warrants executed across the state. Those warrants followed the search of a Burnsville storage unit, which the complaint said yielded 900 pounds of crystal meth "concealed in multiple tubes separately held in large spools of metal." The street value of the meth is at least $22 million, authorities said. Court documents do not say when that meth was recovered.
The federal warrants directed law enforcement to search for and seize evidence related to "controlled substances, money laundering, bank fraud, human trafficking, and firearms." Authorities say they collected "relevant evidence" at each location they visited.
Warrants were carried out at homes and businesses in Bloomington, Inver Grove Heights, Burnsville, Lakeville and Northfield, turning up gold-plated guns and portraits of fictional character Tony Montana from "Scarface," according to court documents.
Authorities believe what they uncovered points to an international crime ring operating in Minnesota.
A document from the U.S. Attorney's Office shows the search was considered "high risk" due to the nature of the offenses, so SWAT crews were called to assist in the search.
The presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement prompted community members to gather on Lake Street and, eventually, clash with authorities.
A 27-year-old St. Paul woman is now charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees during the protests spurred by the raid.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey at the time said the raid was not connected to immigration enforcement and instead was "related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering."
Court documents show because of the assaults, federal agents had to leave before they could collect all the evidence they needed.
In the aftermath, an internal memo to officers and staff of the Minneapolis Police Department reiterated the agency's non-participation policy when it comes to federal immigration enforcement.
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