ST. PAUL, Minn. – A federal jury convicted Vannesa Violante-Lujano of attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, in June 2022, federal authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border seized approximately 220 pounds of Cartel-sourced methamphetamine destined for Minnesota. Special agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) then conducted an undercover operation in Lakeville, Minnesota. During the undercover operation, Violante-Lujano and a co-conspirator met an undercover officer at a Lakeville truck stop and attempted to pick up the 220-pound shipment of methamphetamine. The attempted drug deal was captured on video, and Violante-Lujano and her co-conspirator were apprehended by the Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) shortly thereafter.
“Minnesota has become a hub for Cartel-sourced methamphetamine,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “In 2022, the Cartel was flooding the border with their poison. In this case, the Cartel sent 220 pounds of deadly methamphetamine-worth $6 million-across the border, bound for Minnesota. I am grateful to the excellent work of law enforcement, who not only seized these drugs, but also utilized an undercover operation to catch the state-side drug dealers.”…