Felon pleads guilty to meth sales, gun violations in connection to federal kidnapping, torture case - Detroit Lakes Tribune

DETROIT LAKES — Felon pleads guilty to methamphetamine trafficking, firearms violations in connection to kidnapping, torture case

MINNEAPOLIS – A Lino Lakes man has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and firearms violations in connection to the December 2021 kidnapping and torture of a man, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to court documents, on April 11, 2021, officers with the Worthington Police Department conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Jose Angel Chapa-Aguilera, 24. The traffic stop led to a search of the vehicle and officers located in the spare tire compartment a Gucci handbag containing a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic pistol and more than two pounds of methamphetamine sealed inside four zip-lock bags.

According to court documents, on Dec. 20, 2021, at his Brooklyn Park residence, Chapa-Aguilera confronted a man about a drug debt. During the confrontation, Chapa-Aguilera brandished a handgun, ordered the man to the ground, tied his hands behind his back, and proceeded to beat and torture the victim for hours using a heated knife and a pipe.

During the torture, Chapa-Aguilera demanded money from the victim and told the victim that he would have to distribute drugs to work off a perceived debt. Before leaving the residence, Chapa-Aguilera barricaded the victim in a crawlspace under the house. The victim was later able to escape and contact law enforcement.

The victim suffered extensive injuries, including numerous burns, broken ribs, a large laceration above his eye, and required a blood transfusion. Law enforcement seized approximately three pounds of methamphetamine from Chapa-Aguilera’s residence during a search warrant executed shortly thereafter.

According to court documents, on Jan. 7, 2022, law enforcement located Chapa-Aguilera driving a purple-camouflage Humvee in the Twin Cities. After a high-speed pursuit, officers disabled the vehicle and pulled Chapa-Aguilera from the Humvee. Officers also recovered from the vehicle a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun and several 9 mm rounds of ammunition.

Chapa-Aguilera pleaded guilty Wednesday before Senior U.S. District Judge Joan N. Ericksen to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime on April 11, 2021, and one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine on Dec. 20, 2021. A sentencing date has not been set.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force, the Brooklyn Park Police Department, and the Worthington Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen A. Slaughter is prosecuting the case.

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