Arrests made after meth investigation across Minnesota

CASS COUNTY, Minn. (Valley News Live) - A statewide, large-scale drug investigation has lead to more than a dozen arrests across several Minnesota counties.

Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch says investigators with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies have conducted numerous traffic stops and search warrants targeting methamphetamine. So far, this has led to four 1st degree drug arrests, one 2nd degree drug arrest, one 3rd degree drug arrest and eight 5th degree drug arrests.

To date, over three pounds of meth and more than $11,000 has been seized. The cases are active with investigations ongoing and formal charges are pending for numerous individuals in multiple counties.

Burch says, throughout the course of the investigation, Jeffrey Lee Thorsen, age 35 of Hackensack, Minnesota, has been identified as a leader of several of these cases. Authorities say Thorsen used people to transport meth from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area to northern Minnesota to be sold. Formal charges are pending on Thorsen in Cass County, as well as other counties.

The statewide investigation led by Cass County has been a cooperation of numerous agencies including; Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, Leech Lake Tribal Police Department, MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, MN State Patrol, Morrison County Sheriff’s Office, Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office and Crow Wing County LADID.

Sheriff Burch says many of these investigations start with an anonymous tip and he encourages people to submit tips and information through Crime Stoppers of Minnesota. Tips can be submitted anonymously through the website at http://crimestoppersmn.org/ or by calling 1-800-222-8477.