Maple Grove Men Sentenced In Massive Heroin Bust

MAPLE GROVE, MN — Two Maple Grove men were sentenced to 65 months in prison for drug charges after nearly six pounds of heroin were discovered, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Wednesday.

Daniel Eduardo Martinez-Castro, 28, pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to aiding and abetting first-degree drug distribution of heroin. He was immediately sentenced to 65 months in prison.

On Friday, Victor Ernesto Castro-Garcia, 43, pleaded guilty to the same charge and received the same sentence.

According to the criminal complaint, on June 4, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant for a home in the 9400 block of Ranchview Lane in Maple Grove.

Officers saw both Martinez-Castro and Castro-Garcia enter and exit the house on numerous occasions and sometimes spent the night there, police said. During the search of the house, officers recovered 2,758 grams of heroin which was packaged into numerous bags.

They also recovered packaging materials in the kitchen and a digital scale in a dresser drawer in the living room, according to the complaint.

While executing the search warrant, Martinez-Castro was headed to the house but drove past it when he noticed police, authorities said. He was stopped and arrested.

More heroin was found inside the car, according to investigators.

"The seizure of nearly six pounds of drugs had a noticeable impact on the supply of heroin for a period of time after this bust," Freeman said in a statement.

"Now that they’ve been sentenced, these dealers will be behind bars and off the streets for awhile and paying the price for bringing this deadly drug into our county."

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