Authorities say a Faribault man is behind bars after a package packed with roughly two kilograms of cocaine was dropped on a doorstep, carried inside and quietly opened. What looked like a routine delivery was actually the final move in a federal interception that began hundreds of miles away and ended in a controlled sting at a Twin Lakes Court home. The suspect, identified by police as 33-year-old Josue Santibanez Jr., is charged with aggravated possession and is being held on six-figure bail.
According to investigators, U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Louisville, Kentucky, first intercepted the parcel after it arrived from Mexico City. Agents removed most of the drugs at the hub and left about 110 grams in place so the box could still be delivered in a controlled drop, as reported by Southern Minn. That delivery, investigators say, is what led them straight to Faribault.
How investigators say the operation unfolded
The Cannon River Drug and Violent Offender Task Force, a multi-jurisdictional unit housed at the Rice County Public Safety Center, led the local takedown while working with Faribault police and sheriff's deputies, per Rice County. After arranging the controlled delivery, officers moved in once the package was carried into the residence, officials said.
Search, seizure and charges
Officers executed a search warrant at a home in the 3000 block of Twin Lakes Court and reported finding the parcel opened inside a bedroom, with the bag of cocaine removed and hidden elsewhere in the house. Investigators say they seized Santibanez's cell phone, brass knuckles, two loaded Springfield XDS pistol magazines and zip-top bags that later tested positive for cocaine. Santibanez, 33, was charged with aggravated possession of a controlled substance, and Minnesota District Court Judge Jeffrey Kritzer set conditional bail at $100,000 or $500,000 without conditions, with police noting the charge carries a potential prison sentence ranging from about 86 months up to 40 years, as reported by Southern Minn.
Santibanez remains jailed while the case moves through the district court system. Local authorities say the investigation is still active and that additional records will be made public through court filings as they become available.
