Sgt. Bryan Savaloja from the Wadena County Sheriff’s Office is speaking out on the deadly consequences of the Biden administration’s open border for rural Minnesota, highlighting a drug bust that nabbed five men, including two illegal aliens.
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The men were collectively sentenced to more than 43 years in prison—the result of law enforcement cooperation involving the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office, West Central Drug Task Force, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Minnesota State Patrol, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
However, the case started back in November 2023 when the Wadena County Sheriff’s Office responded to an overdose death caused by methamphetamine and fentanyl.
“Unfortunately, this started with the death of one of our citizens. The deputies here are all trained death scene investigators, so they knew that something wasn’t right,” Sgt. Savaloja explained.
“We got the report back from the medical examiner, search warrants were done on different devices, including the victim’s phone, which identified a person who was selling drugs to the victim,” he added.
Sgt. Savaloja also said that the person who sold drugs to the victim “ended up being Bill Rude, who was one of the defendants in this indictment.” Then after a series of controlled drug buys, the investigation led to Robert Anderson.
“Investigators did a series of traffic stops that dealt with both Anderson and Aaron Heifort, which yielded pounds of methamphetamine. That’s what led us to Valdovinos and Valdovinos‑Trejo as the source of the methamphetamine in the Twin Cities metro area,” Savaloja said.
The five people who have been sentenced in this case are: Robert Joseph Anderson, 40, of Wadena; Aaron Thomas Heifort, 30, of Clitherall; Bill J. Rude, 63, of Wadena; Carlos Deyvi Valdovinos‑Trejo, 39; and Jesus Alarcon Valdovinos, 44.
An ICE spokesperson confirmed with Alpha News that Valdivinos and Valdivinos-Trejo, both from Mexico, have been removed from the U.S. before and are here illegally.
“This was a huge case. I mean, it’s a huge case anywhere, let alone for it starting in Wadena County. This started unfortunately with the death of one of our citizens that led us to Rude, that again led us to Anderson after that, where we found that he was the one actually supplying the Wadena County area from the Twin Cities metro area. From there, the case just kept unfolding,” Savaloja said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and court documents indicate that Anderson would buy bulk quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine from Valdivinos and Valdivinos-Trejo and then Anderson would sell them to downstream distributors in greater Minnesota.
“We have dangerous people who are entering our country illegally and committing crimes that are killing our citizens. I wanna be clear, we have zero issue if you want to come live in the USA, but we have a proper process to go through to avoid situations like this, hopefully,” Savaloja said.
Given how two of those involved in the conspiracy are illegal aliens — who have each been removed from the United States before — Collin asked Savaloja if he has noticed if anything has changed during the Trump administration so far.
“We’ve definitely noticed drugs are harder to come by. They are still here but, you know, prices, talking with our agents and investigators, they fluctuate from dealer to dealer based on demand. That’s why from our perspective in Wadena County … it’s so important to never stop working on these types of cases,” Savaloja said.
“We, along with the West Central Drug Task Force that we’re a part of, target high-level drug traffickers to try to keep these drugs out of our communities. We’re very fortunate that our agent here at the sheriff’s office is very determined and very dedicated to his job. But if he was sitting here, he’d be the first to tell you that this case was a team effort that involved many agencies at the state and federal levels,” Savaloja explained.
“What we’ve seen is what these drugs can do and how they tear families apart due to addiction and, again, being a small community, that hits us all,” he added.
Liz Collin
Liz Collin is a multi-Emmy-Award-winning investigative reporter, news anchor, and producer who cares about Minnesota. She is the producer of The Fall of Minneapolis and Minnesota v We the People documentary films, and author of the Amazon best-selling book, They’re Lying: The Media, the Left, and The Death of George Floyd. Her work has prompted important state laws. Yet perhaps most of all, Liz has been giving a voice to the truth—and helping others tell their stories—for more than 20 years.
Dr. JC Chaix
Dr. JC Chaix is an editor, educator, and an expert in media studies. He wrote and directed the Alpha News documentary "The Fall of Minneapolis" and "Minnesota v We the People."
