No federal charges in Freeborn Co. meth, coke case

Published 1:35 pm Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Federal officials will not be pursuing charges against two men who were allegedly found transporting more than 4 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine on Interstate 90 last month, according to one of the men’s lawyers and the Freeborn County Attorney’s office on Monday.

Instead, charges will proceed in Freeborn County District Court for Jesus Ivan Lopez-Torres, 21, and Antonio Melecio Sanchez-Hernandez, 34, who are both reportedly in the country illegally from Mexico. The two men were arrested Feb. 15 after a traffic stop on Interstate 90 near the Minnesota Highway 13 exit.

They each face one count of first-degree drug possession.

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Lopez-Torres’ public defender, Stephen Erickson, on Monday said a possible settlement may be in the works for his client, but it hinders on some promises made to his client around the time he was arrested.

Erickson and prosecutors are waiting on the recordings of Torres’ interviews with authorities following his arrest, which are still in the hands of federal officials and need to be translated into English.

According to court documents, the drugs were reportedly found in three packages hidden inside of the vehicle’s battery container.

One package contained 506 grams of methamphetamine, one contained 1.138 kilograms of cocaine and the last contained 560 grams of cocaine. The total weight was over 2 kilograms of powder.

According to the trooper in the court documents, the two men admitted to delivering the drugs from Phoenix where they stayed at the Super 8 motel. Sanchez-Hernandez said he was paid $1,000 to ride with and assist the delivery in Minnesota.

The two men are being held on bails of $250,000 with conditions and $500,000 without conditions.

They face maximum penalties of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted of their crimes.