Charges: Large Meth Bust Near Rochester Linked to Mexico, Chicago

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A traffic stop Wednesday that led to the seizure of several pounds of methamphetamine was the culmination of a narcotics investigation launched by the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office in October.

A criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County court Friday says 57-year-old Mark Darrel Steffes became the target of the investigation after a confidential informant told authorities the Minneapolis man was bringing methamphetamine from Chicago and selling bulk amounts of the drug in Minnesota. That information led investigators to track electronic cash transactions, phone contacts, and the movement of Steffes’ vehicle and phone, which, according to court documents, uncovered numerous connections between Steffes, Mexico, and Chicago.

Court Documents List Mexico and Chicago Connections

Steffes criminal complaint-Olmsted County Court

According to the charges, Steffes was tracked traveling from his home in the Twin Cities to Rochester, where investigators located his vehicle and monitored his actions. The criminal complaint says Steffes made a brief stop at an apartment complex in northeast Rochester and then began driving back to the Twin Cities.

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Suspicions Led to Traffic Stop

The court document says investigators suspected a drug transaction had just occurred, and Steffes’ vehicle was pulled over as he was driving north of Rochester on Highway 52. A K-9 officer was brought to the scene and alerted to the presence of narcotics.

Photo by Andy Brownell TSM Rochester

Meth and Cash Seized

The charges say a search of the vehicle led to the discovery of just under 3.3 pounds of methamphetamine. The criminal complaint says a digital scale that tested positive for the drug and more than $700 in cash stored in two “zipper-style” bags were also found in the vehicle.

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Steffes is charged with one count each of first-degree drug sale and first-degree drug possession. His conditional bail is set at $50,000.

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