2 Charged Following 64-Pound Meth Bust

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two men have been charged after authorities say they conspired to distribute more than 500 grams of meth. According to the complaint, they exceeded that amount by many times over.

Gonzalo Jiminez-Paz Jr. and Rey David Luna-Santillanes have both been charged, according to documents filed with the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.

The documents say that officers searched an apartment at 1st Street South and Marquette Avenue in downtown Minneapolis last Saturday. They recovered about 64 pounds of what they suspected to be meth, which was found in two suitcases.

Tests of the substance found in the suitcases came back positive for meth, the charges state. Jiminez-Paz and Luna-Santillanes were arrested.

The two were taken into custody, and investigators questioned them. Luna-Santillanes told authorities he had arrived in Minnesota two months prior and was living with Jiminez-Paz at the apartment. He also admitted to delivering some narcotics on behalf of Jiminez-Paz, along with wiring money to California.

The complaint says that along with the meth, investigators also found three pounds of suspected heroin, some pills, two loaded guns and a large amount of money inside the apartment.

Both men are due in federal court Thursday at 1 p.m.