Two Maple Grove men sentenced in drug bust of nearly six pounds of heroin

Two Maple Grove men have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 65 months in prison for possession of approximately six pounds of heroin with the intent to sell or distribute it, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Wednesday.

Daniel Eduardo Martinez-Castro, 28, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to aiding and abetting first-degree drug sales/distribution of heroin. He was immediately sentenced to 65 months in prison. On Friday, Victor Ernesto Castro-Garcia, 43, pleaded guilty to the same charge and received the same sentence.

“The seizure of nearly six pounds of drugs had a noticeable impact on the supply of heroin for a period of time after this bust,” said Freeman. “Now that they’ve been sentenced, these dealers will be behind bars and off the streets for awhile and paying the price for bringing this deadly drug into our county.”

According to the criminal complaint, on June 4, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant for a residence in the 9400 block of Ranchview Lane in Maple Grove. The targets of the investigation were Martinez-Castro and Castro-Garcia. As part of their investigation, officers saw both Martinez-Castro and Castro-Garcia enter and exit the house on numerous occasions and sometimes spent the night there.

During the search of the house, officers recovered 2,758 grams (approximately 6 pounds) of heroin which was packaged into numerous bags. They also recovered packaging materials in the kitchen and a digital scale in a dresser drawer in the living room, according to the complaint.

While executing the search warrant, officers saw Martinez-Castro headed to the house and saw him drive past it when he became aware of the presence of law enforcement. He was stopped and arrested. Heroin was found inside the car.