Massive Rochester Area Meth Bust Sends Minnesota Woman to Prison

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A former Rochester woman has been sentenced for a felony drug conviction stemming from a massive methamphetamine bust near Rochester last year.

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In October 37-year-old Marina Garza, who now has a Minneapolis address, entered a guilty plea to a first-degree drug possession charge in exchange for the dismissal of a first-degree sales count.

She was arrested with 29-year-old José Aguilera, who is currently serving an 85 month prison sentence for a first-degree drug conviction.

Aguilera (left) Garza (right). Olmsted County ADC photos

Garza was sentenced Thursday to a 95 month prison term. The judge stayed five years of the more than seven year sentence.

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The criminal complaint in the case says Garza and Aguilera were in a vehicle pulled over by a State Trooper in May of 2022 on Hwy. 52 north of Rochester. The traffic stop, which was conducted as part of a drug trafficking investigation, led to the seizure of nearly a half pound of methamphetamine.

The charges say investigators document a series of suspected drug transactions while conducting surveillance on Aguilera during his visits to the Twin Cities prior to the traffic stop.

Garza was previously sentenced to a stayed 78 month prison term and was placed on probation for 10 years for an earlier first-degree drug conviction involving the sale of meth. The May 2022 traffic stop occurred before her sentencing in that case.