WILLMAR -- Elio Naranjo Infante, 43, of Pennock, and Joel Gomez, 30, of Alexandria, both made their first court appearances Wednesday on first-degree drug sale and possession charges for their roles in allegedly selling methamphetamine to a CEE-VI Drug Task Force informant on Monday.
Infante's bail was set at $100,000. His next appearance is Jan. 26 in Kandiyohi County District Court. He also faces petty misdemeanor charges for possessing a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
Gomez' bail was set at $75,000. His next appearance is Dec. 5.
According to the complaint, the informant and Gomez traveled from Willmar to Pennock on Monday to purchase meth from Gomez's supplier, later identified by Gomez as Infante. After the purchase was made, their vehicle was stopped by a sheriff's deputy. An ounce of meth was located in the vehicle with a $100 bill that had previous been recorded by CEE-VI agents.
Gomez was arrested and 28.5 grams of meth were located in his possession. He has a prior conviction for third-degree drug possession in 2006.
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Agents also served a search warrant on Infante's residence, along First Street North, and located 5.4 grams of meth hidden inside a roll of paper towels. The search also revealed $2,600 in cash stashed inside a wall in a cabinet, numerous pieces of surveillance equipment and 18.4 grams of marijuana and paraphernalia.
