Thirteen people have drug charges pending in multiple counties and more than 3 pounds of methamphetamine was seized in a statewide drug investigation.
Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch writes that the large-scale, ongoing investigation included numerous traffic stops and search warrants.
In addition to the large quantity of meth seized, more than $11,000 was also forfeited.
The investigation determined that 35-year-old Jeffrey Lee Thorsen of Hackensack is “a leader of several of these cases.”
Thorsen is accused of using multiple individuals to transport quantities of methamphetamine from the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area to northern Minnesota.
Thorsen has formal charges pending in Cass County, among other counties.
Four individuals have pending first-degree drug charges, one person has second-degree drug charges, one person has third-degree drug charges and eight have pending fifth-degree drug charges.
Cass County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, Leech Lake Tribal Police Department, MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, MN State Patrol, Morrison County Sheriff’s Office, Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office and Crow Wing County LADID.