A Twin Cities drug dealer responsible for selling many pounds of methamphetamine into southern Minnesota accidentally sold nearly three pounds of the stuff to undercover agents last Friday.
According to Sergeant Ross Ardoff, Commander of the CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force, agents had been working on a case involving a Twin Cities supplier who has sold many pounds of methamphetamine into the CEE-VI Task Force service area.
As part of the investigation, on June 4, agents purchased about three pounds of methamphetamine from Jose Erasmo Cruz-Martinez, age 41. Cruz-Martinez was arrested after the Task Force executed two search warrants at two different homes in the Twin Cities Metro area. Agents found and seized about 20 pounds of methamphetamine, 2 pounds of cocaine, and over $29,000 in cash.
Cruz-Martinez is currently in custody awaiting indictment on Federal Drug charges. Cruz-Martinez had previously been arrested in Minnesota in 2012 for Controlled Substance charges, and was deported back to Mexico after serving his sentence for that offense.
The CEE-VI Task Force was assisted in this case by the Northwest Metro Drug Task Force, the MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the Minneapolis Police Department.