We are part of The Trust Project.
WILLMAR — A 44-year-old Willmar woman was sentenced to 85 months in prison for drug possession after authorities seized more than 100 grams of methamphetamine and more than 200 grams of marijuana at her residence.
Dolores Aranda, of Willmar, pleaded guilty in August to one count of first-degree drug possession. She also pleaded guilty to third-degree drug sale in a separate case.
She was sentenced Oct. 6 in Kandiyohi County District Court. A 33-month prison sentence, to be served concurrently, was ordered for the drug sale conviction. Judge Stephen Wentzell gave her credit for 187 and 184 days already served, according to the two sentencing orders.
In exchange for her first-degree possession plea, two other fifth-degree possession charges were dismissed along with a charge of first-degree drug sale, according to the plea agreement.
A fifth-degree possession charge was dismissed in exchange for Aranda’s guilty plea to third-degree drug sale in the other case.
ADVERTISEMENT
Under Minnesota law, offenders are required to serve at least two-thirds of a sentence in custody and may be allowed to serve the remaining time on supervised release.
Aranda's expected release date from the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee is Dec. 22, 2026, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
According to the amended criminal complaint in the first-degree possession case, a search warrant was granted on March 14, 2022, that included Aranda, her vehicle and her residence in Willmar.
On March 21, officers conducted surveillance at her residence, believing she was actively conducting drug sales, according to the complaint. CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force and Willmar Police Department officers executed the search warrant later that day.
Aranda was detained and officers seized multiple items that included 253.6 grams of marijuana, 167.7 grams of methamphetamine, and $2,114, according to the complaint.
In the third-degree sale case, a search warrant was executed April 5. Among the items seized from the residence were pills, drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine and cash, according to the criminal complaint in that case.
Aranda has prior convictions for drug-related offenses in 2013, 2017 and 2018, according to that complaint.
