Guilty Plea for Meth Distributor | Crime

On Monday, a 32-year-old man from Soudan pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute 500 or more grams of methamphetamine. Frank Edward Popesh pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy. He was indicted, along with two co-defendants, on November 17, 2010. 

Popesh admitted that from January of 2009 through October of 2010, he conspired with others to obtain illegal substances, including methamphetamine, for distribution to others. They obtained the methamphetamine from a source in the Twin Cities and transported it to customers in northern Minnesota.

Popesh admitted that on October 12, 2009, he obtained approximately two pounds of methamphetamine that he hid in the lining of a cooler.

Popesh transported the methamphetamine to northern Minnesota, but during the trip, his vehicle was stopped by the Minnesota State Patrol in Carlton County. The State Patrol seized the cooler, approximately $10,000 in cash, and eventually recovered the methamphetamine.

Approximately one year later, on October 18, 2010, Popesh was arrested on his way to meet a co-defendant to obtain more methamphetamine.

Following Popesh's arrest, law enforcement executed a search warrant at his Soudan home, where they found a 26-plant marijuana grow operation and nine firearms.