Two brothers were charged Wednesday with receiving an out-of-state shipment of "high-grade" marijuana valued at roughly $750,000 that was quickly seized by police along a busy west metro interstate after the pair were pulled over.
Charged in Hennepin County District with first- and second-degree drug counts were William I. Anderson, 27, and Ian L. Anderson, 23. Both have lived in Independence, but they also have separate addresses in Chico, Calif., listed for them on the jail log.
The 200 pounds of pot originated in Chico and arrived in the Twin Cities in a pickup with South Dakota license plates, the charges read.
According to the charging documents:
Alerted by South Dakota authorities to the pot's imminent arrival, drug investigators and police set up surveillance of the marijuana's parking-lot transfer in Plymouth off County Road 6, between Hwy. 55 and I-494.
The pickup arrived in the parking lot. An SUV also showed up there, and Ian Anderson got out to "take custody" of the truck. The SUV and the pickup parked at another spot nearby, where the "high-grade marijuana inside nine large duffel bags" was moved into to the SUV.
The two vehicles got onto Interstate 394 and were soon pulled over in Minnetonka near the Plymouth Road exit about 1:30 p.m.
The person who drove the pot shipment to the Twin Cities has yet to be arrested. Plymouth Police Capt. Jeff Swiatkiewicz said the deliverer "could have been unaware" of the illicit nature of the shipment.
That person's role in the exchange remains under investigation. The charges refer to him as a confidential informant who has "provided similar services for the brothers in the past."
William Anderson has had many run-ins with the law since 2003, including two drunken-driving convictions and two drug possession convictions. Ian Anderson has two minor alcohol violations on his record.
Both have a court appearance scheduled for Thursday. William Anderson remains jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail. Ian Anderson also remains jailed, with his bail set at $75,000.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
