Two individuals from Moorhead, Minnesota, have been convicted by a federal jury on charges of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick following the verdict.
The trial's evidence detailed the events beginning February 22, 2024, when law enforcement acted on a canine alert and secured a warrant to search a package intercepted in North Dakota. This package contained over nine pounds of methamphetamine. The contents were mostly removed, a tracking device was installed, and the package was sent to a rental location in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Law enforcement monitored as Alberto St. Martin Lopez, Jr., 58, collected the package and took it to his nearby residence, where he met with two accomplices. The trio was recorded opening the package, after which they quickly dispersed with parts of the evidence. One conspirator left with the remaining methamphetamine and soon met a fourth accomplice; another retrieved additional methamphetamine from Lopez’s property. Lopez himself left with the GPS tracker. All individuals were subsequently apprehended, found with the tracking device, three more pounds of methamphetamine, digital scales, and other drug distribution paraphernalia.
Terri Lee Weideman, 46, was also implicated. Evidence showed she worked at a Fargo property management company and since at least April 2023, had provided vacant rental unit addresses to facilitate methamphetamine shipments from California.
"Transnational criminal organizations continue to pour methamphetamine into Minnesota by various means, including by mail," stated Kirkpatrick. "As this case demonstrates, this office, working hand in glove with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, will continue to dedicate resources to stop the flow of methamphetamine into our state."
In total, 12 pounds of methamphetamine were seized on February 23, 2023, marking the largest combined seizure in Clay County, Minnesota at that time.
The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the Moorhead Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren O. Roso and Allen A. Slaughter Jr.