Drug bust cost $16,000

Undercover

operation netted

25 arrests

By KURT NESBITT

Journal [DEMO]Writer

NEW ULM -- Now that their case has moved from the hands of law enforcement to the hands of attorneys, investigators are spending their time filling out all the paperwork that goes with making the largest drug bust in Brown County history.

Take Cpl. Jeff Hohensee of the New Ulm Police Department for example. In the 12 years he's been a New Ulm cop, he said he's participated in several undercover drug busts, but none as large as the one that went down three weeks ago.

In that operation, law enforcement made a total of 25 arrests, 23 of which were local. They executed two search warrants and 21 arrest warrants and arrested 21 adults and four juveniles. Suspects were arrested mostly in New Ulm and Sleepy Eye, but were also found in Lake Crystal and Fairfax.

Hohensee said $23,000 worth of cocaine and $3,500 worth of meth was bought and $4,200 in cocaine and $200 in meth was seized in the 50-day operation.

Additionally, nine cars with a total value estimated at $50,000 to $55,000 were seized.

Furthermore, the Brown County attorney's office recently began seizure proceedings against a house in Sleepy Eye, where one of the key defendants, Valentine Martinez, reportedly lived.

"What people don't understand is when you arrest 25 people, you have 25 days of paperwork to do," Hohensee said.

Investigators spent a total of $16,757 during the course of the operation, Hohensee said. Information released Thursday by the New Ulm Police Department [DEMO]tes $11,440 was spent purchasing the narcotics. Approximately $3,100 went to the cooperating individual who made the drug buys.

Investigators spent $972 on a leased vehicle and $815 on rent and utilities for the mobile home where several of the alleged buys took place, reportedly under electronic surveillance.

Funding for the investigation came from the different law enforcement agencies that took part in the operation.

Hohensee estimated that each department kicked in about $3,000 to $4,000 each. The remainder, he said, came from a federal grant and was approximately $30,000 to $40,000.

NUPD had the help of the Brown County Sheriff's Department, Sleepy Eye police, the Brown-Lyon-Redwood drug task force, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the State Patrol and the Department of Natural Resources.

Thirty officers were involved with the investigation. Hohensee said he credits Brown County investigator Bob Christiansen and others for their help with the investigation.

But now that the investigation is almost entirely finished, the focus for Hohensee -- who is largely credited for overseeing the operation -- is on filing paperwork and waiting for test results.

For example, four pieces [DEMO]erwork must be filed on each of the nine cars seized in the operation. The forms include 1) an impound slip saying where the car was found and what condition it was in, 2) an inventory search of the car, 3) seizure forms and 4) a long-form complaint. When the paper work is completed, the vehicles can go on the block at a police auction.

Hohensee and a couple other cops have also been devoting more than just a few hours to copying the many videotapes that reportedly document the drug buys for the 23 different suspects and their lawyers to review before going to trial.

The cocaine and methamphetamine seized during the operation is still being tested at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's lab in St. Paul. Hohensee said the BCA is doing tests on the substances to determine its purity and is also confirming the weight of the seized packages.

"You can only have effective drug investigations when you spend money like this," explained Assistant Brown County Attorney Clark Tuttle, who is prosecuting the suspects in Brown County District Court.

Tuttle said he thinks the case is significant from the standpoint of its numbers, particularly because of the 11 people who are facing first-degree charges. He said that fact illuminates the professionalism of some of the people who are accused of dealing drugs.

"I'm amazed at the amount of cocaine and methamphetamine," Tuttle said. "And the fact that we got 11 people on first-degree charges means the people that were doing this were doing it for a living. The people that got caught were not just dabbling."

Even so, Tuttle said he's certain that the people charged in the case will likely be replaced on the streets by others.

"I'm certain others will take their places. But we're going to do this again and again [DEMO]ain," Tuttle said.

Investigations into narcotics activity in the area will continue, Hohensee said, adding that the NUPD plans to ask the city council for a drug dog and a narcotics investigator. Hutchinson and Marshall, towns slightly smaller in population than New Ulm, have several narcotics investigators while New Ulm only has one, he pointed out.

"I think this (drug bust) is a real eye-opener for the area and the community," Hohensee said.