Charges Filed in Huge Southern Minnesota Meth Bust

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Bail was set at $5 million today for the Shakopee man accused of a major methamphetamine operation that was busted by authorities earlier this week.

38-year-old Saul Rodriguez Pineda was arraigned today in Scott County Court on five felony drug charges, including four counts of first-degree sale of a controlled substance. He was arrested on Tuesday after agents with the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force and other law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his home in Shakopee.

The search of the property resulted in the seizure of more than 31 pounds of methamphetamine. The criminal complaint says the drugs were found in coolers that were buried in a wooded area on the property. Investigators also found evidence of a meth lab at the site.

The raid was the result of an investigation that began in Blue Earth County in early September after authorities received information about a man allegedly selling large quantities of meth from his home. The criminal complaint says, prior to the execution of the search warrant, a confidential informant had made three controlled buys of methamphetamine from Pineda. Each of those controlled purchases involved a pound of the drug.

Pineda is due back in court next week.