Five arrested in meth bust

MERRIFIELD -- Five people were arrested on drug charges Wednesday at a residence in Lake Edward Township.

Arrested on charges of manufacturing a controlled substance with the intent to sell methamphetamine were a 37-year-old St. Paul man, a 35-year-old Northfield man, a 48-year-old Northfield man, a 40-year-old Brainerd man and a 37-year-old Brainerd woman. All are being held in the Crow Wing County Jail and are expected to be arraigned Friday.

Crow Wing County Sheriff Dick Ross said the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Unit executed a search warrant at 6:12 a.m. at a residence on County Road 118 on the north side of Lake Edward.

The five suspects, in the process of manufacturing methamphetamine, were arrested without incident and about four pounds of chemicals used to make methamphetamine, as well as manufacturing supplies, were seized.

"It was a good hit," Ross said about the amount of chemical seized. Since the chemical had not been made into methamphetamine, Ross said a street value couldn't be determined.

The search warrant was executed and the suspects arrested on information obtained from a couple of informants, said Ross.

Assisting the Lakes Area Drug Investigative Unit were Crow Wing County deputies, Brainerd police officers, the Crow Wing County Tactical Response Team, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Mission Fire Department and North Ambulance.