A Shakopee man, Saul Rodriguez Pineda, has been convicted on multiple charges related to methamphetamine trafficking, according to a report by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A federal jury found Rodriguez Pineda, 40, guilty of three counts of distribution and one count of possession with intent to distribute the drug after a three-day trial.
The evidence, which led to the man's conviction, included multiple controlled purchases of meth executed by law enforcement between September and October of last year. Found guilty, right in Rodriguez Pineda's yard, law enforcement discovered a whopping 31 pounds of methamphetamine during an October search as well as a lab for converting liquid methamphetamine, stated U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger in a press release.
The case was a combined effort involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force, and the Shakopee Police Department. These agencies conducted the investigation that eventually led to Rodriguez Pineda’s undoing.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allen A. Slaughter and Raphael B. Coburn prosecuted the case, having presented the slew of evidence, which culminated in the jury's decision. Items found in the residence related to drug trafficking, which accompanied the large quantities of meth and the discovery of the drug lab, sealed Rodriguez Pineda's fate. A sentencing hearing is expected to be scheduled soon, the date of which has yet to be determined.
